JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – There is still more than five months before you could see Tate Reeves and Brandon Presley’s names appear on the same ballot in the governor’s race. But, the campaigns and chatter surrounding them are already heating up.
A comment by Stacey Abrams on MSNBC this week is sparking reactions from both sides.
She was asked, “Which Southern state do you think is ripest for the sort of transformation you helped accomplish in Georgia?”
She said, “I think we have an exciting set of elections with Brandon Presley running against a very weakened Tate Reeves.”
Republican strategist Henry Barbour made this note.
“The country is going in the wrong direction,” said Barbour. “Stacey Abrams would have Georgia going in the wrong direction had she won, but she didn’t. And I just don’t think anybody Mississippi cares what a losing two-time loser in Georgia thinks about Mississippi, particularly one who’s a big liberal.”
SPLC Action Fund and New Southern Majority IE PAC’s Brandon Jones gives a differing perspective.
“Republicans know what the rest of us know… this is a close race,” said Jones. “And Stacey Abrams has been working across the country for voting rights. She’s actually a native of Mississippi from Gulfport, Mississippi. So we’re not talking about some out-of-state person who doesn’t understand southern politics.”
Meanwhile, Tate Reeves announced a major TV ad buy for $1.3 million. His campaign pointed out that the amount matches Brandon Presley’s current cash on hand.
“It’s really significant because you get a one-sided ballgame where one side’s able to tell their story,” said Barbour referring to the ad buy.
“It’s important for people to remember that he outspent Jim Hood two to one, four years ago,” noted Jones. “And that race was decided by five points. So, I don’t think the money is going to save him this time.”
Still, Presley’s campaign is finding a way to fight back regarding the content of Reeves’ ad. They’re asking why clips shot in 2019 inside Nancy New’s now-closed school would be used after she’s since pleaded guilty in the TANF scandal.
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