/Tate Reeves defeats Jim Hood, secures Republican sweep of statewide offices

Tate Reeves defeats Jim Hood, secures Republican sweep of statewide offices

The crowd cheered, “Tate!” Tate! Tate!” was the next governor’s victory speech. Reeves asked for applause from the crowd for Hood’s “commitment in public office, forgoing a lucrative career as a private practitioner” and he focused most of his speech thanking his family. Reeves, 45 years old, focused his campaign on conservative values and attacked Hood as a liberal. Reeves continued this refrain as he thanked 200 supporters who gathered at the Westin downtown Jackson on Tuesday night after his win was announced. Reeves said to his supporters, “You have worked hard because Mississippi should be different.” We must resist the country’s leftward drift. We must create a workforce capable of filling the 50-year-old jobs. It is important to protect the culture that makes Mississippi a great place for families. We need to understand that it is possible to govern in Mississippi as a conservative and still be elected.” Hood entered the ballroom just before Tuesday’s election. He spoke with supporters and took pictures with them for at least 30 minutes. Hood congratulated Reeves shortly after the election was called. Hood was once known as “Last Democrat of Dixie” and his tenure as the state’s only statewide Democratic official ended when the four-term attorney General lost convincingly. Reeves received 449,252 votes, or 52.2 percent to 40,336 votes for Hood. These unofficial numbers will rise slightly as each candidate’s final votes are added and certified. Hood affectionately refers to “the Hills” as his hometown in northeast Mississippi. Hood won Chickasaw, his hometown county. However, Hood did not win any other counties in the region that was a stronghold in his four previous convincing wins as attorney general. He lost Tuesday’s election in many of the northeast Mississippi counties that he had previously won. The preliminary results of the Associated Press show that Reeves won in all four key Republican counties, Rankin, Harrison and Jackson, and Hood lost in several Democratic hotbeds such as Hinds, and many other counties in the Mississippi Delta. Hood’s margins for victory in these areas were not sufficient to defeat Reeves. Hood wanted to do well in key suburban counties where Bill Waller Jr. beat Reeves in August’s primary runoff. Hood was defeated by Reeves on Tuesday in Forrest, Lamar, and Madison counties. Hood also won Oktibbeha, Lafayette, and Madison counties. However, these margins of victory were not large enough to give Hood an additional 2,500 votes. Reeves and Republicans have long considered northeast Mississippi to be the battleground. Hood spoke to a crowd of hundreds in a Jackson hotel ballroom, “The good Lord permitted me (as attorney General and district attorney for 24 years”),” Hood said. Hood stated that it was a “good run” and that he felt relieved to be able to serve as attorney general and district attorney for 24 years. He also said that he would now think about “how I will make my living.” Reeves, on the other hand, promised to represent all Mississippians and specifically spoke of increasing teacher salaries. Reeves stated that there is only one governor and that that governor must serve one person — that’s all of Mississippi. “Our state is in excellent fiscal health. To get here, we’ve had to make difficult financial decisions. These decisions weren’t always popular but sometimes the right thing isn’t popular. Our rainy-day fund has been fully funded, tax rates have fallen, and the economy is booming. This gives us the opportunity to invest in people, teachers, and students across the state. The Reeves win also secured the first ever sweep of all eight statewide offices by the Republican Party. The majority of Mississippi’s government was controlled by Republicans during Reconstruction who supported civil rights for African Americans, and other progressive reforms. After Reconstruction was over and the South’s federal troops were withdrawn, the white Democrats took power and inaugurated the Jim Crow era. On Tuesday, all seven Republicans ran in the contested general election. The Democratic counterparts were defeated by their Democratic counterparts. The eighth candidate was unopposed. The Democrat received around 40% of the votes in all down-ticket races. Within the last week, Republican President Donald Trump gave the GOP candidates a boost. Five days before the election, Trump held a large rally in Tupelo to support Reeves. It is unclear if that altered the dynamics in Hood’s home region, but it is clear that Trump’s visit did not harm Reeves in the crucial battleground region. Hood’s defeat means that the state will no longer have any statewide elected Democrats. All of the Democratic candidates were faced with much more well-funded Republican opponents. Hood was the only Democrat who raised significant amounts of campaign donations, nearly $6 million. However, he was outspent more than two-to-one by Reeves. On Tuesday, the Westin’s attendees were loud and lively for over an hour after the race ended. Reeves also left the room. Lucien Smith, chair of the Mississippi Republican Party, said that “This is an amazing night for Republicans.” To support this work, make a regular donation to us today as we celebrate our Spring Member Drive.