In front of thousands, President Donald Trump spoke at Tupelo’s airport that afternoon. He urged the people to vote the next day for Cindy Hyde Smith to the U.S. Senate. Trump, Hyde Smith, and other members from the state’s Republican leadership flew to Biloxi to attend a similar event at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Trump hosted a DeSoto County event earlier in the campaign for Hyde Smith. Many believe Trump will do a similar effort for the Lt. Governor in the coming weeks. Tate Reeves survived a difficult primary and is currently locked in a general elections battle with Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood to win the seat of governor. Reeves has a strong advantage in Mississippi because he is the Republican. Hood won four consecutive statewide elections and has been Mississippi’s only statewide elected Democrat for the past 12 years. Hood received 56 percent of the vote in 2015, which is the lowest number Hood received. Hood won these elections prior to the emergence of Donald Trump. The so-called Trump effect could have hampered Hood’s momentum in the governor’s election. As a senior strategist for Democrat Mike Espy in the 2018 Senate special election runoff, Brad Chism of Mississippi-based Chism Strategies had to confront the Trump effect head on in 2018. Chism stated that Trump’s 2018 visit to Tupelo may have had the greatest positive impact on Hyde-Smith. He stated that Hyde-Smith received about 5 percent less votes in the runoff than the combined votes of all the Republican candidates. Because no candidate received a majority vote during the first election, there was a runoff. Chism stated that the drop-off in the northeast Mississippi region surrounding Tupelo did not happen. Chism stated in an email that Trump is not responsible for all of it. “Rural and small-town whites in northeast Mississippi have more frequent voters than the entire state, so it’s not wise to credit all of that 5 percent to Trump.” Chism said Trump had “zero impact” on Hyde Smith turnout relative to the rest. The upcoming election could have a pivotal impact on the Coast and northeast Mississippi, according to an incident. Hood’s success is due to his superior performance in many northeast Mississippi counties. Espy won a surprisingly competitive race against Hyde Smith in the Senate special election. He captured more than 46 percent of the state’s vote in the runoff. However, Espy received 20,000 less votes in the 10 northeasternmost counties than Hood in 2015. Hood did even better in 2011 Reeves won his primary victory in 2011 because of the strength of the three heavily populated Coastal areas. These counties were a large part of Reeves’ victory margin. Hood will attempt to undermine Reeves’ Coast strength and Reeves in northeast Mississippi will do the same. Chism, who has at times done contract work for Hood’s campaign, predicted that Trump will attempt to make the election “about immigrants and national wedge issues.” It benefits Reeves’ blue-collar and rural white voters. But Chism stated that Republicans who voted for former Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. during the primary against Reeves might be disenfranchised. They “yearned for more substance” and “less partisan posturing”. Based on Waller’s strong showings in the Jackson metropolitan area and other larger Mississippi counties, it appeared that Reeves may have issues with some college-educated voters. It remains to be seen if this trend will continue to the general elections and how Trump will affect those dynamics. Based on polling, Trump is still more popular in Mississippi that most other states. Morning Consult polls monthly in Mississippi and reports that Trump has a 20% net approval. Only Alabama and Wyoming have higher net approval ratings than the president. Although the Reeves campaign declined to comment on Trump’s potential visit or its impact, the lieutenant governor spends a lot of time linking himself with the president. Reeves stated that his victory in the Republican primary “showed Mississippians want someone to work with the president and protect our country – and our great nation –from the liberal agenda.”