Democrats think Mississippi gubernatorial race is ripe for upset

Democrats in Mississippi are optimistic that their party will be able to force Gov. Tate Reeves (right) out of the governor’s mansion this fall following Democrat Brandon Presley’s recent entry into the race.

Reeves suffered from low approval ratings and his name was occasionally tested in the protracted state welfare scandal, but for decades, Democrats in the red state proved elusive in the governorship.

The party believes that this time it will be different. They say Presley, the upstate civil service commissioner and a distant relative of Elvis Presley, has the ability to connect with rural voters and has proven he can win elections in some of the reddest parts of the state.

“There is no better retail policy in Mississippi, period. He knows how to reach voters. He listens to voters, which I think is an underestimated skill in politics,” said Democratic strategist Brannon Miller, whose firm has previously worked with the Presley campaign but is not currently running for governor.

“As a Democrat, you cannot be optimistic about such a person,” he added.

Presley, who officially announced his candidacy just over a week ago, touted his credentials as the former mayor of Nettletown – “a city without traffic lights” – in his commercial. He also highlighted his time at the state utility regulator, where he said he “opened closed-door meetings to the public, provided high-speed Internet access everywhere—in some of the most rural and forgotten places in our country. state.”

Shortly after his announcement, Rep. Benny Thompson (Ms.), the only Democrat in Mississippi’s congressional delegation and a powerful party member in the state, endorsed Presley.

In an interview with The Hill, Thompson pointed to teachers struggling with low wages, an ongoing welfare probe into the millions of dollars that were supposed to go to low-income residents of the state and were misappropriated, and dozens of rural hospitals on the verge of closing. down as some of the biggest problems the state will have to contend with.

“Brandon Pressley says he wants to work with these local communities on their specific issues. I love it,” Thompson said. “Because every day I hear people talk about their trials and tribulations. And so we need someone in the highest position in this state who doesn’t just hear about the trials and tribulations of citizens, but actually does something about it.”

Indeed, in November, Mississippi Public Health Officer Daniel Edney warned that due to the financial crisis engulfing the state’s rural hospitals, more than half of them could be closed. Mississippi Clarion Ledger reported. However, teacher salaries in the state lag behind other states in the country. Reeves signed into law last year this would have increased wages by an average of more than $5,000. Jackson’s aging water infrastructure, exacerbated by severe weather conditions, has at times left residents of the black-majority city without reliable clean water.

There is also an ongoing investigation into the misappropriation of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds, which should have been directed to the lowest income residents of the state, but were instead pocketed for things not related to program priorities. The investigation has checked Reeves’ name from time to time, but no charges have been brought against him.

Democrats see recent polls as cause for optimism that there is fertile ground for a Democrat to be elected governor. AND Morning Consult survey published earlier this month found Reeves among the 10 governors with the lowest approval rating of 49 percent. And Mississippi Today-Siena College poll found that 57 percent of respondents, including 33 percent of Republicans, would like to see someone other than the governor as the state’s top official.

“Brandon Presley never…relyed solely on a Democratic victory. He always had to win the sympathy of Republicans and independent candidates to get the job that he has now, ”said a consultant who works with the Presley campaign.

“I’m not worried about state registration,” the consultant said, pointing to 57 percent of those polled in the Mississippi Today-Siena College poll who wanted a new governor.

In addition, several Republicans, including former State Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. and Secretary of State Michael Watson, are reportedly considering entering the race, which could trigger a Reeves primary.

But Republicans say Democrats still have a lot of work to do. The state has not elected a Democrat for governor since 1999, and toppling the state’s incumbent Republican president, who picked former President Trump by more than 16 points in 2020, would be no small feat.

“Brandon Presley and the D.C. Democrats dream if they think they can make Mississippi blue. Hard-working Mississippians know they can’t let liberal Joe Biden drive the state to the ground,” said Sarah Craig, executive director of the Republican Governors Association.

“Democratic politics across the country have crushed Americans trying to make ends meet. Governor Reeves’ leadership contrasts sharply with more jobs and higher pay, safer streets and quality schools, and he’s just getting started,” she added.

Frank Bordeaux, chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, said he did not attach much importance to Reeves’ poll in Mississippi today and believes the state’s welfare investigation will not negatively impact the governor’s re-election efforts – an investigation that Presley referred to in his first ad.

“Obviously if you’re going [to] fail immediately, you lose,” Bordeaux said. “This is how we take it. He says that he must do something to get his name known and that he must try to compete with the governor. And he obviously decided to go into the red from the very beginning.

Democrats acknowledge that moving forward requires a combination of rebuilding the state party’s infrastructure and increasing financial participation.

“A real weakness [in] state we have no infrastructure, right? We simply do not have a democratic infrastructure. Our Democratic Party is in the process of being rebuilt, for lack of a better word,” Democratic strategist Pam Shaw said, referring to the state’s Democratic Party.

Miller, another Democratic strategist, spoke differently.

“I think the problem is that we’re just a poor state, and Democratic voters in Mississippi tend to be very poor. And we do not have such external progressive organizations that provide a base in terms of financial and grassroots support for Democratic candidates,” he said.

The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) has invested seven figures in the 2019 gubernatorial race, and spokesman Sam Newton said in a statement that the group “will continue to closely monitor this race as it develops.”

“The DGA has shown that we can win anywhere, including ousting Republicans in very difficult environments such as Kentucky, Wisconsin and North Carolina in recent election cycles,” he said.

Gallego Announces Campaign for Cinema’s Senate Seat The Hill’s Morning Report – Debt ceiling battle highlights uncertainty in 2023

Andre Wagner, chief executive of the Mississippi Democratic Party, said it would take time for Democrats to make headway in a red state like Mississippi, pointing to Georgia as an example.

“I think Mississippi is on the verge of being at the forefront — being right at the forefront to make this state blue, or at least purple. It took work, it took a real concerted effort to turn Georgia into what it is now,” Wagner said.

“Shirley Chisholm said if you’re not at the table, take a folding chair with you. And frankly, I think that we need to put folding chairs at the table so that we can all participate in this work together, ”he added.

Content Source

News Press Ohio – Latest News:
Columbus Local News || Cleveland Local News || Ohio State News || National News || Money and Economy News || Entertainment News || Tech News || Environment News

Related Articles

Back to top button