The gubernatorial race in Mississippi is neck-and-neck as Democrat candidate Brandon Presley is trailing closely behind Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, according to a survey provided by the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) and conducted by Public Policy Polling.
DGA, which works to elect Democrat governors across the nation, shared the results with Mississippi Today, showing Democrat Presley trailing just one point behind the Republican incumbent governor, who edges out his challenger 46 percent to 45 percent. The survey also found that most undecided voters, 68 percent, have an unfavorable view of the Republican, and across the board, 51 percent have an unfavorable view of him as well. Just 33 percent view Reeves favorably, compared to 36 percent who view Presely favorably. Unlike Reeves, Presely has a positive approval, as 31 percent view him unfavorably.
According to Mississippi Today, the DGA has poured millions — roughly $3.75 million — into Presely’s campaign over the course of the year, as he officially announced his gubernatorial bid in January.
“When you’re more concerned about how much campaign money you can raise than you are with how you can raise the quality of life for the people who are the owners of state government, there’s something bad screwed up,” Presley told the Associated Press earlier this year.
More per Mississippi Today:
To add some context to this year’s DGA investment, the same group gave Democratic nominee Jim Hood just $2.4 million in his race against Reeves four years ago. And this year in neighboring Louisiana, one of two other states with a 2023 governor’s election, the DGA invested about $300,000 total.
If the results are accurate, neither candidate is near the 50 percent threshold, meaning a runoff could be in both of their futures.
The survey was taken among 601 Mississippi voters from October 19-20 and has a +/- 4 percent margin of error.
Reeves, who won his previous election with nearly 52 percent of the vote, has continued to assure the people of his state that as long as he is governor, there will be “no mask mandates, COVID vaccine mandates, or lockdowns” in their state, making that proclamation last month.
FLASHBACK — MS Gov. Reeves: Biden Vaccine Mandate ‘Hardening’ Stance of the Unvaccinated
Mississippi is not the only southern state holding a gubernatorial race this year, as candidates will battle it out for the coveted position of governor of Kentucky as well.
Mississippi’s general election is will take place November 7.