Mississippi voters will elect leaders for all eight statewide offices in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Those offices include governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor, agriculture commissioner and insurance commissioner.
Use this guide to learn about candidates’ backgrounds and policy views.
Candidates for Governor
Why this office is important: The Mississippi governor is the head of state and the head of government as well as the commander-in-chief of the Mississippi National Guard. He or she enforces state laws and approves or vetoes bills the Mississippi Legislature passes and appoints leaders to hundreds of powerful positions and boards throughout the state government. The governor also has the power to grant pardons except in cases of treason or impeachment.
Tate Reeves, incumbent Republican candidate for governor Gov. Tate Reeves is the Republican nominee for Mississippi governor on Nov. 7, 2023.
Background: Incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves is a Rankin County, Miss., native and Mississippi College graduate. Before serving as governor, he served as lieutenant governor for two terms and treasurer for two terms.
Not long after he entered office, the COVID-19 pandemic began; Reeves implemented lockdowns early on and a statewide mask mandate, but later reversed COVID-19 restrictions even as Mississippi achieved the nation’s highest pandemic death rate in late 2021. In 2022, he signed a bill giving Mississippi teachers an average $5,140 annual pay raise. He also signed a $524-million tax cut but has vowed to eliminate the state income tax altogether if reelected.
“If you earn income and you make a living in this state, we’ve cut your taxes,” Reeves said at the gubernatorial debate on Nov. 1.
Reeves has signed laws banning gender-affirming care for minors, including puberty blockers, and prohibiting transgender student athletes from participating on sports teams that match their gender identity. In 2022, the governor vetoed a bill that would allow formerly incarcerated people to vote.
Despite signing the 2020 bill that retired Mississippi’s old Confederate-themed state flag, Reeves has repeatedly drawn criticisms for designating April as “Confederate Heritage Month” each year since he entered office.
As lieutenant governor and
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