Gov. Tate Reeves claims win in hard-fought race against Brandon Presley
Updated: 11:38 PM CST Nov 7, 2023
TOUGH ISSUES AND THINGS OF WHICH WE NEED TO SEE OUR STATE MOVE FORWARD. >> AND I GIVE HIM MY BEST WISHES TO HE AND HE DIDN’T DO IT TO HIS FAMILY. I RESPECT THE DECISION OF THE VOTERS OF MISSISSIPPI BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT MAKES OUR DEMOCRACY. WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS. I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT AND THANK EVERYBODY THAT VOTED FOR ME TONIGHT. WE CAME UP JUST A LITTLE SHORT. >> IT’S NOT LORD SHOW ME THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VOTES WHO WENT INTO THE BALLOT BOX AND CAST THEIR BALLOT FOR ME AND HOW APPRECIATIVE I AM TO THEM FOR TAKING THAT CHANCE AND FOR GETTING UP SPENDING THE GAS, TAKING OFF FROM WORK AND DOING THE EFFORT IT TAKES TO GO VOTE. >> AND I SINCERELY APPRECIATE EVERY BIT OF THEIR SUPPORT. YOU PEOPLE IN MISSISSIPPI ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE, BOTH REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS AND INDEPENDENTS REPRESENT THE GOOD PARTS OF OUR STATE. WE REPRESENT THE GOOD PARTS OF WHO WE ARE. AND I WILL ALWAYS BE APPRECIATIVE OF THAT. I KNOW THAT YOU’RE DISAPPOINTED TONIGHT, AS I AM. ADLAI STEVENSON SAID IT HURTS TOO MUCH TO LAUGH AND I’M TOO OLD TO CRY. SO I UNDERSTAND WHAT HE MEANT. I UNDERSTAND WHAT HE MEANT. BUT THIS CAMPAIGN WAS NEVER JUST ABOUT ME. AND I TRIED TO MAKE THAT CLEAR. IN THE 11 MONTHS WE’VE BEEN IN THIS RACE. IT’S NOT JUST BEEN ABOUT ME. IT’S BEEN ABOUT MISSISSIPPI, AS A WHOLE. WE STILL HAVE ISSUES THAT CONFRONT OUR STATE THAT ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE CONFRONTED. BUT WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THROUGHOUT THIS CAMPAIGN. I THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE OPENED UP THEIR HOMES AND WELCOMED ME INTO YOUR CITIES AND YOUR COUNTIES AND TOWNS AND YOUR COMMUNITIES AS WE’VE GONE THROUGHOUT THIS CAMPAIGN AND HAVE BEEN SO HOSPITABLE, WHO HAVE BEEN SO KIND, WHO HAVE BEEN SO BENT OVER BACKWARDS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FELT WELCOME THROUGHOUT THE STATE. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO KAYLA TONIGHT, WHO NOT ONLY TOOK ON NOT ONLY. WHO WHO NOT ONLY TOOK ON A CAMPAIGN, BUT TOOK ON A HARD HEADED HUSBAND IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO MY SISTER, GRETA. YES. THERE SHE IS HERE. SHE DROPPED HER JOB IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, AND MADE IT ALL THE WAY BACK TO NETTLETON, MOVED JUST TO BE HERE AND BE PART OF THIS CAMPAIGN. AND THESE TWO LADIES HAVE STOOD WITH ME THROUGH THICK AND THIN. A LOT OF FAN AT. AND I’LL ALWAYS BE THANKFUL. LOVE THE BROTHERHOOD. >> THIS CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN TOUGH AND I FEEL LIKE TO A CERTAIN DEGREE THAT WE’VE LIVED THAT LINE IN AMAZING GRACE THROUGH MANY DANGERS, TOILS AND SNARES. >> I HAVE ALREADY COME AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE SEEN THE BEST OF MISSISSIPPI THROUGHOUT THIS CAMPAIGN. IT’S BEEN A ROUGH ROAD AT TIMES, BUT IT’S BEEN WORTH IT. IT’S BEEN WORTH IT TO ELEVATE THE ISSUES THAT WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THROUGHOUT THIS THROUGHOUT THIS RACE. I WANT TO SAY A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS WHO NOT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OVER A QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS. OVER A QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS KNOCKED IN THIS CAMPAIGN. >> AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT. >> SO MANY OF YOU HAVE LAID SO MUCH ON THE LINE IN THIS RACE TO TRY TO DO THE RIGHT THING. AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW I WILL NEVER PERSONALLY, PERSONALLY NOW, NOT AS A CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR, PERSONALLY EVER FORGIVE THE WORD OF JOB THAT HAVE DONE AND I WON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE IT. I WANT TO SAY A VERY AND I DON’T GET EMOTIONAL TOO MUCH, BUT I CAN ON THIS. SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR STAFF. IF YOU WORKED ON THIS STAFF, RAISE YOUR HAND. WHAT? FOREVER. HOLDS RIGHT NOW ARE A MVP LIST AND EVERY WHICH WAY AND TO EGYPT, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME AWAY FROM A JOB. TAKING THIS AS A JOB. SOME OF YOU WENT THROUGH A TON OF THINGS DURING THIS PERIOD AND I KNOW SOMETIMES I’M A HARD HEADED BOSS AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. YOU ARE AN EXCELLENT BUNCH OF YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN AND OLDER MEN AND WOMEN THAT HAVE MADE THIS CAMPAIGN WHAT IT IS. AND WE LEFT NO STONE UNTURNED. AND YOU DON’T HAVE A DARN THING TO BE ASHAMED OF IN A RACE IN WHICH WE HAVE SHOWN EXACTLY WHAT AN EXCELLENT CAMPAIGN CAN LOOK LIKE. AND I WANT TO SAY TO THE MASTER OF OF DISCIPLINE, THE GUY WHO BROUGHT DISCIPLINE TO A VERY UNDISCIPLINED CANDIDATE, RON OWENS. WHERE ARE YOU. ON A DAY MARCUS HUNTER I WANT TO SAY A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THEM, TO ALL OF THOSE WHO HAVE PUT THEIR HAND ON THE WHEEL FOR THIS RACE. I WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE IT. I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I WILL CARRY BACK WITH ME THE REST OF MY LIFE THE HONOR THAT YOU’VE GIVEN ME IN NOT ONLY YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS, HELPING US RAISE MONEY AND HELPING US HOST EVENTS, DRIVING ALL ACROSS THE STATE WITH US, DOING EVERYTHING YOU COULD DO TO TRY TO HELP MAKE US SUCCESSFUL. NOT JUST THAT, BUT THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN THE MOST PRECIOUS THING THAT SOMEBODY CAN GIVE, AND THAT’S THEIR LIFE, THAT’S THEIR ENERGY, THAT’S THEIR TIME. AND I WILL NEVER, EVER FORGET THAT TONIGHT IS SET BACK. BUT WE’RE NOT GOING TO LOSE HOPE. WE’RE NOT GOING TO LOSE HOPE. WE’RE NOT GOING TO LOSE HOPE BECAUSE THIS CAMPAIGN ELEVATED THE ISSUES THAT HAD TO BE ELEVATED IN MISSISSIPPI, HAD TO BE DEALT WITH AND HAD TO. MEDICAID WILL BE EXPANDED AT SOME POINT. IT WILL BE EXPANDED AT SOME POINT. AND 230,000 WORKING PEOPLE WILL GET HEALTH CARE AND YOU FOR THAT, YOU WILL HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN THAT. YOU WILL HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF ALL OF FOR A QUARTER OF A MILLION PEOPLE. AND SO FROM MY HEART TO YOURS AND AS I SAID, TO NOT ONLY THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSAND PEOPLE THAT VOTED FOR ME, LOOK, I APPRECIATE THAT TO THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR TAYLOR, EVEN THIS IS BIGGER THAN ONE MAN. PARTIZAN POLITICS THAT RIPS PEOPLE APART IS WHAT’S WRONG. IT’S NOT WHAT’S WRONG. >> AND SO. WE CAN LOSE THIS ELECTION. WHAT A GREAT CROWD HERE TONIGHT. >> AND I WANT TO THANK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU. >> AND I GOT TO TELL YOU, THIS VICTORY SURE IS SWEET. >> THREE YEARS AGO, WE STARTED THIS AND I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU SOME NUMBERS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MATH GUY, HOW’S. THIS 15 AND ZERO? >> YEAH. NOT TOO BAD. BUT WHAT DID THE DEMOCRATS SUPER-PAC MISSISSIPPI TODAY CALLED ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR DELTAS IN AMERICA. >> NOW, A FEW MOMENTS AGO, I SPOKE WITH BRANDON PRESLEY AND ACCEPTED HIS CONGRATULATIONS. BRANDON CAMPAIGNED HARD. HE WENT TO COMMUNITIES ALL OVER THIS GREAT STATE. >> NOW, HE AND I WILL ALWAYS HAVE OUR DIFFERENCES. I THINK WE MADE THAT PRETTY CLEAR IN THIS CAMPAIGN. BUT I WANT TO CONGRATULATE HIM ON RUNNING HARD ALL THE WAY THROUGH. AND I GOT TO TELL YOU, I’M NOT GOING ONE SECOND FURTHER IN THIS SPEECH WITHOUT SAYING THANK YOU TO THE MOST IMPORTANT VOTER IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI. AND THAT’S EVELYN REEVES. >> NOW, THINK IT’S FAIR TO SAY IF WE RUN HER INSTEAD OF ME, THIS RACE NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN CLOSE. SHE’S A GREAT FIRST LADY, A GREAT PARTNER, A GREAT MOM. >> AND I HOPE YOU’LL JOIN ME IN GIVING HER A ROUND OF APPLAUSE. I ALSO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO TYLER, EMMA AND MADDIE. AND I JUST WANT TO SAY I LOVE YOU ALL. YEAH. ALSO WANT TO SAY A THANK YOU TO SOMEONE THAT I’M GOING TO KNOW VERY WELL. I WANT TO THANK SOMEONE THAT I SPOKE WITH JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO. >> PRESIDENT DONALD J. >> TRUMP. I WANT TO THANK HIM. HE HE HE WAS VERY, VERY ADAMANT. PLEASE TELL THE PEOPLE OF MISSISSIPPI, I LOVE YOU ALL. AND I WILL TELL YOU WHAT, WE’RE GOING TO MAKE SURE HE CARRIES MISSISSIPPI AGAIN IN 2024 ON THE PRESIDENT WAS A BIG HELP TO OUR CAMPAIGN AN BUT THE REAL WORK WAS DONE BY ALL OF YOU. SO ALL OF YOU WHO MADE CALLS TO ALL OF YOU, WHO KNOCKED ON DOORS, TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE TEXTED YOUR FRIENDS OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, AND FOR ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE HELPED GET PEOPLE TO THE POLLS, YOUR HARD WORK IS THE REASON THAT WE’RE STANDING HERE TODAY. AND THIS VICTORY BELONGS TO YOU. THIS EXPERIENCE IS MORE OF A IT’S MORE THAN JUST WHO OCCUPY THE GOVERNOR’S MANSION OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. IT’S REALLY ABOUT THE DIRECTION THAT OUR STATE WILL GO OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. MISSISSIPPI HAS MOMENTUM. YOU’VE HEARD ME SAY IT A THOUSAND TIMES THROUGHOUT THIS CAMPAIGN, BUT MISSISSIPPI HAS MOMENTUM. AND THIS IS MISSISSIPPI STYLE. >> YOU KNOW, WE ALL NOW KNOW WHAT IT MEANS IN A STATE LIKE MISSISSIPPI. >> WHEN YOU STAND UP TO THE NATIONAL LIBERALS AND WHEN YOU STAND UP TO JOE BIDEN. THAT’S RIGHT. THEY THREW EVERYTHING THEY HAD AT MISSISSIPPI, $13 MILLION. THEY THREW AT MISSISSIPPI. BUT GUESS WHAT? MISSISSIPPI DID NOT BREAK MISSISSIPPI. HIPPIE DID NOT BEND MISSISSIPPI IS NOT FOR SALE. AND I’LL TELL YOU, I COULDN’T BE PROUDER OF THE PEOPLE OF MISSISSIPPI AND I COULDN’T BE PROUDER OF THE CULTURE OF OUR STATE. YOU SEE, IN OUR STATE, LEGALLY, FAMILY IS EVERYTHING, RIGHT? WE BELIEVE WORK IS A GOOD THING. >> YES. WE BELIEVE THAT BOYS OUGHT TO PLAY BOYS. BOYS. NOW, I’LL TELL YOU, I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE THE THREATS ALL THAT WE BELIEVE IS REAL AND IT’S REAL IN MANY WAYS IN THE FORM OF WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE THE GREATEST THREAT TO DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA. >> AND THAT IS A PRESS THAT IS BIASED. >> NOW. NOW, PRESS IS IS NOW FOCUSED ON THE TRUTH, BUT FOCUSED ON TAKING SIDES IN POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS THAT IS WRONG. >> AND WE WILL STAND UP AND WE’LL FIGHT IT EVERY SINGLE DAY. >> WE SAVED OUR STATE TODAY, BUT WE DID IT OVER THE OBJECTION OF MANY OF THOSE IN THE BIASED MEDIA. >> NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT COMES NEXT. A FEW YEARS AGO, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME AND A LOT OF ENERGY FIGHTING FOR EDUCATIONAL REFORM IN OUR SCHOOLS. WE DEMANDED THAT MISSISSIPPI PUT IN PLACE THE THIRD GRADE GAME TO MAKE SURE NO KID WAS PASSED ON WITHOUT KNOWING HOW TO READ AT THE THIRD GRADE LEVEL BEFORE THEY WENT TO THE FOURTH GRADE, WE PUT IN ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES AND IT WORKED. IN FOURTH GRADE MATH. >> TEN YEARS AGO, OUR STUDENTS SCORED 50TH IN AMERICA. >> LAST YEAR WE WERE 23RD BEST IN AMERICA. THREE YEARS AGO WHEN COMPARED TO THEIR PEERS, OUR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS SCORED 45TH BEST IN AMERICA LAST YEAR. >> OUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN FOURTH GRADERS WERE FIFTH BEST. NOW, THESE ARE GREAT NUMBERS, BUT WE CAN AND WE WILL DO EVEN MORE. >> I’M GOING TO KEEP WORKING TO IMPROVE OUR SCHOOLS. AND I BELIEVE THAT OUR KIDS CAN CONTINUE TO DO EVEN BETTER BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE THE BEST SCHOOLS IN AMERICA AND WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR OUR TEACHERS. >> THE OTHER THING I’M GOING TO DO STARTING TOMORROW MORNING, PROBABLY ABOUT 4:00 AM, THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN GETTING UP HERE IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. >> STARTING TOMORROW MORNING, I WILL GET BACK ON THE ROAD RECRUITING EVEN MORE JOBS FOR THE GREAT STATE OF MISSISSIPPI. WE ANNOUNCED OVER $6 BILLION IN NEW PROJECTS IN 2022 ALONE. AND I GOT NEWS FOR EVERYBODY OUT THERE. WE AIN’T DONE YET. AND SO WE RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN CALIF FORNIA AND NEW YORK AND MASSACHUSETTS AND WASHINGTON, D.C., REAL INTERESTED IN MISSISSIPPI TO THE GOVERNORS OF THOSE STATES, I’M COMING KNOCKING ON THE DOOR. BECAUSE LET’S BE ABSOLUTELY HONEST, 20 YEARS AGO, WHEN I ASKED YOU TO SUPPORT ME, IS OUR STATE FARM TOM STEYER IT TOOK A GREAT LEAP OF FAITH OF THE PEOPLE OF MISSISSIPPI TO HIRE ME FOR THAT JOB. I KNOW THAT OVER THESE 20 YEARS I HAVE MADE MISTAKES, BUT BUT I WILL TELL YOU THIS. I HAVE NEVER STOPPED TRYING TO EARN YOUR TRUST. YES. I PROMISE YOU, GOING FORWARD, I WILL WORK HARD. >> I COMMIT THAT I WILL STAND FIRM AND I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO RALLY OUR FELLOW MISSISSIPPIANS. >> YOU SEE, I WERE BORN HERE. WE WERE RAISED HERE. WE STAYED HERE FROM THE TIME WE GOT MARRIED IN NOVEMBER OF 2001. OUR GOAL WAS TO PLANT OUR FAMILY HERE, WHERE OUR ROOTS WERE AND TO DO ALL WE COULD TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI AN EVEN BETTER PLACE. I THINK IT’S FAIR TO SAY WE’VE MADE A DIFFERENCE. YES, YES, YES. >> NOW, I ALSO WANT YOU TO KNOW IT’S FAIR TO SAY THAT WE HAD MADE ENOUGH OF A DIFFERENCE, AND WE’RE GOING TO DO EVEN MORE IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. >> I WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW THAT I VALUE YOUR TRUST. I AM HUMBLED BY YOUR SUPPORT. I’M FIRED UP FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. I I’M FIRED UP BECAUSE MISSISSIPPI HAS MOMENTUM AND THIS IS MISSISSIPP
Gov. Tate Reeves claims win in hard-fought race against Brandon Presley
Updated: 11:38 PM CST Nov 7, 2023
Republican Gov. Tate Reeves claimed a re-election win in a close race against Democrat Brandon Presley.”This victory sure is sweet,” Reeves said. The governor said he spoke to Presley, who congratulated him on the win. Reeves said he also congratulated his opponent on a hard-fought race.Presley conceded the election Tuesday night to Reeves.”It hurts too much to laugh and I’m too old to cry,” Presley said. Presley thanked supporters for everything they had done for him during the campaign, and said he’s not going to give up hope because the campaign brought up important issues. If you can’t see the election results below, tap here. Full election results here. Democrats held the Mississippi governorship for almost all of the 20th century, but Republicans have controlled the office for the last 20 years. Statewide Offices | MS House and Senate | Metro County RacesWith help from a sizable cash infusion from the national party, Presley outraised Reeves this year and essentially matched him in spending, but the incumbent entered the final stretch of the campaign with more money. An independent candidate, Gwendolyn Gray, announced weeks ago that she was dropping out and endorsing Presley, but she did it after ballots were set.Reeves, 49, served two terms as state treasurer and two as lieutenant governor before winning an open race for governor in 2019.Presley, 46, was mayor of his small hometown of Nettleton for six years before being elected in 2007 to the three-person Mississippi Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities.
Republican Gov. Tate Reeves claimed a re-election win in a close race against Democrat Brandon Presley.
“This victory sure is sweet,” Reeves said.
The governor said he spoke to Presley, who congratulated him on the win. Reeves said he also congratulated his opponent on a hard-fought race.
Presley conceded the election Tuesday night to Reeves.
“It hurts too much to laugh and I’m too old to cry,” Presley said.
Presley thanked supporters for everything they had done for him during the campaign, and said he’s not going to give up hope because the campaign brought up important issues.
If you can’t see the election results below, tap here. Full election results here.
Democrats held the Mississippi governorship for almost all of the 20th century, but Republicans have controlled the office for the last 20 years.
Statewide Offices | MS House and Senate | Metro County Races
With help from a sizable cash infusion from the national party, Presley outraised Reeves this year and essentially matched him in spending, but the incumbent entered the final stretch of the campaign with more money.
An independent candidate, Gwendolyn Gray, announced weeks ago that she was dropping out and endorsing Presley, but she did it after ballots were set.
Reeves, 49, served two terms as state treasurer and two as lieutenant governor before winning an open race for governor in 2019.
Presley, 46, was mayor of his small hometown of Nettleton for six years before being elected in 2007 to the three-person Mississippi Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities.
