Lt. Gov. Lt. Gov. Foster stated, “I believe it is important that we understand why President Donald Trump ran for president was because he wanted to drain the swamp in Washington.” Jim Hood, Attorney General, has outraised his Democratic opponents by a wide margin. Political observers predict that Hood, who is well-known in the state, will win the Democratic nomination to governor. Reeves had been focusing more on Hood than his Republican rivals for much of the summer. Reeves changed his tactics on Tuesday and attacked his opponents. Reeves stated that Waller’s math was not correct when Waller claimed he would work for a higher starting teacher pay from $36,000 to $40,000 annually during 2020 legislative session. He also promised to work to expand Medicaid, cut personal income taxes, and raise the gasoline tax in order to fund infrastructure. Waller claimed that there was money in the budget surplus to pay for the teacher raise, and that hospitals would pay the bill to pay the match to reduce federal funds to expand Medicaid coverage to the working poor. Waller stated that Mississippi was behind the rest of the country in terms economic growth. Waller stated that Mississippi’s gross domestic products have grown by 2 percentage points since 2008’s recession, compared to 22 per cent for the national. Reeves said that unemployment is low, and at one point, the state’s economic growth was faster than ever in state history. Foster, like Waller also disputed the strength and viability of the state economy, reiterated his plan for eliminating the personal income tax, and replacing it with increased revenue taxes such as the gasoline tax. Reeves invoked the name of President Trump, which, according to polls, is still popular in Mississippi, as he did on the campaign trail. “President Trump drives liberals crazy. Reeves stated that Trump drives liberals crazy because he stands for the things he believes. He is ready to fight for liberals all across the country. We need a governor who is strong enough to fight for the liberals. Foster said he would do it. Foster also defended comments he made on social networks calling Democrats ignorant and evil. Foster said that he meant to refer to the defense of the border and the stopping of abortion. He also stated that he stands by his statement. Foster answered a question about how he would ensure his administration is diverse if elected and stated that he didn’t consider people’s skin colors. He also defended the decision to not go alone with a female reporter while on the campaign trail, saying that it wouldn’t hinder his ability as governor. Waller stated that he had a similar policy. Reeves is the only Republican in the race not to follow the Billy Graham rule. He defended the rights of the group to have such policies on grounds of religious freedom. Reeves stated that he would also put the best people into place if elected governor. However, he pointed out that as lieutenant governor, he had appointed African American committee chairsmen. Waller, chief justice of the Supreme Court, stated that he had hired women and African Americans for key positions because they were qualified. Waller said that his experience as a brigadier-general in the National Guard and on the court made him “uniquely qualified to be governor.” Reeves didn’t rule out the possibility that Mississippi could expand vouchers to help students go to private schools. Foster and Waller stated that they were against expanding vouchers. All three candidates stated that they oppose a voter initiative to legalize medical marijuana. Waller and Foster both spoke out after the debate to praise their performances. Reeves didn’t meet with the media._x000D