Mason Dixon released a poll of likely Republican primary voters Tuesday. It was weighted by gender, age and county and showed that 41% of respondents would vote to elect Lt. Governor. Tate Reeves would vote for Bill Waller Jr. (ex-Supreme Court Chief Justice) and 13% for Robert Foster (state representative). The poll shows that 15% of respondents are still undecided. This is a crucial figure because only one moment in the campaigns’ campaigns remains: the Neshoba county fair, Mississippi’s annual political forum, which has proven to be decisive for gubernatorial elections. The top two vote-getters in the Aug. 6 election will be matched up in a runoff on Aug. 27 if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. In November, the Democratic nominee will face the winner of the runoff election. The history and significance the Neshoba county Fair has had on the minds of two of the Republican candidates for governor are well-known to them. This event was covered by almost every state news outlet and is the last chance for candidates in the state to distinguish themselves from their opponents. Reeves has spoken at the Fair podium every summer since 2003, when he was elected to his first statewide office. Reeves has used his time under the pavilion at Founder’s Square the past three years to criticize Attorney General Jim Hood as the front-runner in the Democratic primary. Reeves has avoided any mention of Foster and Waller, his primary opponents. However, Reeves began to discuss the possibility of a second round. Waller is not the first to speak at the Neshoba podium. Waller has delivered four speeches under the pavilion during his tenure as a Mississippi Supreme Court justice. Waller has presented four speeches under the pavilion to date. His message was one of practical solutions to the state’s problems in infrastructure and public education. Foster, a first-term state representative, will give his first speech at Neshoba County Fair. Like Waller, he has provided solutions to the three major policy issues but has lately promoted a message about values. Mason Dixon — Mississippi poll 7-30 19 (Text). The backdrop to some of the most famous and passionate political moments in Mississippi’s gubernatorial elections history has been the Neshoba Country Fair. Kirk Fordice, a political outsider, was the Republican primary candidate for governor in 1991. He blasted the state’s budget gaps and presented tax reform proposals to fix them. Several newspaper reporters praised his speech and said that Fordice was “gaining momentum” over Pete Johnson, then-state auditor. Fordice received enough votes to win a second round with Johnson just a few days later. Fordice defeated Johnson in the second round and was elected governor that year. The incumbent governor, Fordice, faced off against Democratic Secretary of State Dick Molpus four years later in what is only known in Mississippi politics as “The Great Debate”. The two debated every policy point presented by the moderator. This heated exchange drew widespread attention and enthralled the state’s most experienced columnists. Fordice’s performance during that debate was praised by die-hard politicos who believe he won his reelection. Jackson attorney Bill Waller Sr. used the opportunity to promote the term “Capitol Street Gang”, wealthy Jackson businessmen who he claimed backed the then-Lt. Governor and the gubernatorial frontrunner. Charlie Sullivan. Waller’s speech was praised by the media. He later defeated Sullivan in the Democratic primary. Waller was then elected to the Governor’s Mansion. Bobby Harrison