Reeves is campaigning for the Republican nomination to be the governor of Mississippi on the basis that Mississippi is flourishing because of his leadership. But even Reeves admits there are areas for improvement. Reeves told a room of journalists, “I know there are always a lot different stats that you can find to push back to say things aren’t perfect.” “I have to say that I agree. There aren’t always perfect conditions. “I would not be running for governor if the conditions in this state were perfect. I would likely be down here in Biloxi, going to the beach every day. But we are making some progress in Mississippi.” Other candidates mentioned the state’s poor infrastructure, roads and bridges at both the state-level and local level, low teacher pay, slow economic growth and lack of health care as problems that must be addressed. The candidates spoke back to back and answered questions from the Mississippi Press Association. The time they had for questions was limited by the length of some candidates such as Attorney General Jim Hood or Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith. The event was not attended by any of the five other lesser-known candidates for governor on Democratic side. Although not all candidates were present at the event, Hood and Reeves, who are the front-runners in their respective parties’ nominations, did meet up for the first time this year on the campaign trail and exchange handshakes. The two Republican opponents to Hood, former Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court and Robert Foster, agreed that a higher gasoline tax was necessary to fund road and bridge repairs. However, the two Republicans cited possible tax shifts such as the reduction or elimination of the income tax and the increase in the gasoline levy to fund road and bridge repairs. Hood claimed that an August special session in which legislators passed a lottery, and transferred money from education and other programs to fund $235 million per year for infrastructure, was an attempt to make it appear the issue was being resolved during an election year. Hood stated that people knew the special session would not solve the problem. Waller noted that the money allocated to state road and bridge projects in the special session was not for local roads or bridges. This is because revenue from the lottery has yet to take effect. The lottery’s revenue is limited to $80 million per year. Waller, however, questioned whether the lottery could generate $80 millions a year. Waller said that a “sin tax” such as the lottery for transportation was “unprecedented.” He laughed and asked, “Are you freaking kidding me?” Foster suggested that the gasoline tax should be increased as well as other sales or use taxes. Foster suggested that the state should eliminate the income tax and offset the loss revenue by increasing the use taxes on gasoline and other retail products. He stated that this would help Mississippi compete economically against Texas and Tennessee, which do not have an income tax. Reeves argued the gasoline tax was “regressive,” that it has more impact on low-wage earning workers and that Mississippians already pay more in gasoline tax as a percentage their income. Reeves also stated that even U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat who is known for her progressive views and being a presidential candidate, opposes increasing the gasoline price. Reeves emphasized Hood more than his Republican rivals and said Hood was “to Elizabeth Warren’s left” regarding the gasoline tax. Reeves differed from the other candidates (both Democrats and Republicans) on whether Medicaid coverage should be provided for up to 300,000 Mississippians. This is primarily for working poor people who are too rich for regular Medicaid but can’t afford private health insurance. Reeves stated that he still opposes “Obamacare”, referring to the fact that the “Medicaid extension” is part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Foster called it “Medicaid Reform” and Waller supports the Mississippi Hospital Association’s version. The state would be responsible for paying a portion of this plan through revenue from hospitals, and the state would pay the rest from federal funds, which amounts to approximately $1 billion annually. Reeves stated that he had told Tim Moore, the executive director of the hospital association who spoke to the media association, that he would look at the proposal but that he was unsure if he would support it. Moore and others claimed that the proposal was Medicaid reform, not expansion. Jay Hughes, a state representative from Oxford, is running as lieutenant governor. He said that it is expansion and that it supports him. Hughes stated that he supports an increase in gasoline tax to fund infrastructure needs. Hughes and Delbert Hosemann (the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor) both emphasized the need to make the Senate transparent and give members more power. Hosemann could not attend the convention because of a prior commitment but provided a video recording of his remarks. Shuler Smith stated that the state must address the flag issue – replacing the current flag with the Confederate battle emblem in its design – to move the state forward economically. He didn’t give any details on how to get such an idea through the Legislature, which has so far refused to change it. Hood has also supported changing the flag, but he didn’t mention it to the media association. Three Republican candidates for governor did not support changing the flag.
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