Record-high turnout in Mississippi primary elections has state Republicans confident about their standing for the November gubernatorial election.
The Mississippi Republican primary held on Aug. 6 boasted 374,127 voters. A subsequent run-off vote between Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves and former state supreme court chief justice Bill Waller attracted 326,683 voters on Aug. 27. No previous Mississippi Republican primary has drawn more than 300,000 voters.
Reeves won the hotly contested primary, receiving more than 360,000 votes between the two primaries. He will now face state attorney general Jim Hood, a Democrat, in the November general election.
Reeves, 45, was the first Republican ever elected Mississippi state treasurer in 2003, a post he held for two terms before becoming lieutenant governor in 2012. Campaign spokeswoman Renae Eze said high turnout demonstrates how motivated Republican voters are about not only the governor’s race but the 2020 presidential election. She said the August primaries should send “a clear message to Jim Hood and his national liberal allies” about the party’s standing in the state. – READ MORE