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Reeves: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Hood: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The2019 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2019, to choose the nextgovernor of Mississippi.[1] Incumbent GovernorPhil Bryant was ineligible to run for a third term due toterm limits. TheDemocratic Party nominated incumbent Attorney GeneralJim Hood, the only Democrat holding statewide office in Mississippi; theRepublican Party nominated incumbent Lieutenant GovernorTate Reeves. In the general election, Reeves defeated Hood by a margin of 5.08%, with Reeves significantly underperformingDonald Trump, who won the state by 18 points in2016.
Situated in theDeep South as asocially conservativeBible Belt state,Mississippi is one of the most Republican states in the country. No Democrat has been elected to the governorship sinceRonnie Musgrove in1999. However, the state's Democratic Attorney General, Jim Hood, who had held his office since 2004 and had yet to lose a statewide election, put the Republicans' winning streak of four elections in a row to the test, as the race became unusually competitive. Reeves defeated Hood in the general election by a margin of 5.1%, making this the closest a Democrat had come to winning a Mississippi gubernatorial election since 1999. Hood pulled off the best performance by a Democrat since the2003 Mississippi gubernatorial election, when fellow DemocratRonnie Musgrove took 45.81% of the vote.[2] Hood flipped the counties ofChickasaw,Lafayette,Madison,Panola, andWarren, which had all voted for RepublicanDonald Trump in the2016 United States presidential election.
Uniquely among the states, theConstitution of Mississippi establishes a sort ofelectoral college at the state level. For the election of governor. Article 5, Section 140 of the state constitution states that each state House district is assigned an electoral vote, and that a candidate running for governor must receive a majority of electoral votes (essentially, they must win a majority of state House districts) in addition to winning a majority of the popular vote in order to be elected governor.[3] Article 5, Section 141 of the state constitution states that if no candidate wins both a popular and electoral vote majority, the stateHouse of Representatives is assigned to decide the winner, choosing from the two highest popular vote winners.[4] This provision came into play only one time in the state's history; Democratic candidateRonnie Musgrove in the1999 gubernatorial election garnered a plurality, but not a majority; the House selected Musgrove.[5]
In the lead-up to the election, controversy emerged over these constitutional provisions establishing a state system of electoral votes, with a federal lawsuit claiming the provisions are racially biased.[6] These provisions were put in place with the 1890 Mississippi Constitution, itself established by the segregationistRedeemers and overturning theReconstruction-era 1868 Constitution, as part ofJim Crow Era policy to minimize the power of African Americans in politics.[6] Because of this, as well as presentgerrymandering that packs African Americans into a small number of districts, the plaintiffs claim the provisions should be struck down on the basis of racial bias.[5]
On November 3, 2020,an amendment was passed removing the electoral college, with 79% of the vote.
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| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Robert Foster | Tate Reeves | Bill Waller Jr. | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon[39] | July 24–27, 2019 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 13% | 41% | 31% | 15% |
| Impact Management Group[40] | June 10–14, 2019 | 354 | ± 5.3% | 9% | 50% | 19% | 28% |
| Mason-Dixon[41] | January 30 – February 1, 2019 | 400 | ± 5.0% | 9% | 62% | – | 29% |
Hypothetical polling | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tate Reeves | 187,312 | 48.9 | |
| Republican | Bill Waller Jr. | 128,010 | 33.4 | |
| Republican | Robert Foster | 67,758 | 17.7 | |
| Total votes | 383,080 | 100.0 | ||

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tate Reeves | 179,623 | 54.1 | |
| Republican | Bill Waller Jr. | 152,201 | 45.9 | |
| Total votes | 331,824 | 100.0 | ||
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| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Jim Hood | Robert Shuler Smith | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triumph Campaigns[54] | January 29, 2018 | 2,145 | ± 1.8% | 36% | 34% | 30% |
Hypothetical polling | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Hood | 208,634 | 69.0 | |
| Democratic | Michael Brown | 33,247 | 11.0 | |
| Democratic | Velesha Williams | 20,844 | 6.9 | |
| Democratic | Robert Shuler Smith | 20,395 | 6.7 | |
| Democratic | Robert Ray | 5,609 | 1.8 | |
| Democratic | William Bond Compton Jr. | 5,321 | 1.8 | |
| Democratic | Albert Wilson | 5,122 | 1.7 | |
| Democratic | Gregory Wash | 3,218 | 1.1 | |
| Total votes | 302,390 | 100.0 | ||
Declared
Declared
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[58] | Lean R | October 15, 2019 |
| Inside Elections[59] | Lean R | November 8, 2019 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[60] | Lean R | November 8, 2019 |
| Dates | Location | Hood | Reeves | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 10, 2019 | University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg | Participant | Participant | [61] |
| October 14, 2019 | WCBIStudios Columbus | Participant | Participant | [62] |
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| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Tate Reeves (R) | Jim Hood (D) | David Singletary (I) | Bob Hickingbottom (C) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBC/Survey Monkey[77] | October 8–22, 2019 | 1,002 (RV) | ± 4.7% | 47% | 40% | 7% | 2% | 3% |
| Targoz Market Research[78] | October 13–20, 2019 | 384 (LV) | – | 47% | 46% | – | – | 7% |
| Mason-Dixon[79] | October 17–19, 2019 | 625 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 46% | 43% | – | – | 9% |
| Hickman Analytics[80] | October 13–16, 2019 | 508 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 42% | 46% | – | – | – |
| Hickman Analytics (D)[81][A] | September 22–26, 2019 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 42% | 45% | – | – | – |
| Hickman Analytics (D)[82][A] | August 11–15, 2019 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 42% | 43% | – | – | – |
| NBC News/SurveyMonkey[83] | July 2–16, 2019 | 1,171 (RV) | ± 4.2% | 51% | 42% | – | – | 6% |
| Impact Management Group[40] | June 10–14, 2019 | 610 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 48% | 36% | 4% | – | 12% |
| Hickman Analytics (D)[84][A] | May 5–9, 2019 | 604 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 40% | 45% | – | – | – |
| Mason-Dixon[41] | January 30 – February 1, 2019 | 625 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 42% | 44% | – | – | 14% |
| OnMessage Inc. (R)[85][B] | January 28–30, 2019 | 600 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 51% | 36% | – | – | 13% |
| Mason-Dixon[86] | April 12–14, 2018 | 625 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 39% | 44% | – | – | 17% |
| Chism Strategies/Millsaps College[87] | December 15–19, 2017 | 578 (RV) | ± 4.1% | 45% | 38% | – | – | 18% |
| Mason-Dixon[43] | December 13–15, 2017 | 625 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 37% | 43% | – | – | 20% |
with Tate Reeves, Jim Hood, and Bill Waller Jr.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Tate Reeves (R) | Jim Hood (D) | Bill Waller Jr. (I) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon[41] | January 30 – February 1, 2019 | 625 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 38% | 40% | 9% | 13% |
with Bill Waller Jr. and Jim Hood
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Bill Waller Jr. (R) | Jim Hood (D) | David Singletary (I) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBC News/SurveyMonkey[83] | July 2–16, 2019 | 1,171 (RV) | ± 4.2% | 53% | 41% | – | 6% |
| Impact Management Group[40] | June 10–14, 2019 | 610 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 43% | 36% | 4% | 17% |
| Candidate | Party | Popular vote | Electoral vote | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
| Tate Reeves | Republican Party | 459,396 | 51.91 | 73 | 59.84 | |
| Jim Hood | Democratic Party | 414,368 | 46.83 | 49 | 40.16 | |
| David Singletary | Independent | 8,522 | 0.96 | |||
| Bob Hickingbottom | Constitution Party | 2,625 | 0.30 | |||
| Total | 884,911 | 100.00 | 122 | 100.00 | ||
| Source:Mississippi Secretary of State | ||||||
| County[88] | Tate Reeves Republican | Jim Hood Democratic | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 4,132 | 38.82% | 6,387 | 60.00% | 126 | 1.18% | -2,255 | -21.18% | 10,645 |
| Alcorn | 8,629 | 75.47% | 2,649 | 23.17% | 156 | 1.36% | 5,980 | 52.30% | 11,434 |
| Amite | 2,914 | 55.70% | 2,252 | 43.04% | 66 | 1.26% | 662 | 12.65% | 5,232 |
| Attala | 3,154 | 53.31% | 2,713 | 45.86% | 49 | 0.83% | 441 | 7.45% | 5,916 |
| Benton | 1,526 | 59.01% | 1,025 | 39.64% | 35 | 1.35% | 501 | 19.37% | 2,586 |
| Bolivar | 3,224 | 31.96% | 6,761 | 67.01% | 104 | 1.03% | -3,537 | -35.06% | 10,089 |
| Calhoun | 3,009 | 59.05% | 2,029 | 39.82% | 58 | 1.14% | 980 | 19.23% | 5,096 |
| Carroll | 2,653 | 63.82% | 1,465 | 35.24% | 39 | 0.94% | 1,188 | 28.58% | 4,157 |
| Chickasaw | 2,437 | 37.70% | 3,987 | 61.68% | 40 | 0.62% | -1,550 | -23.98% | 6,464 |
| Choctaw | 1,977 | 65.03% | 1,020 | 33.55% | 43 | 1.41% | 957 | 31.48% | 3,040 |
| Claiborne | 472 | 12.79% | 3,178 | 86.15% | 39 | 1.06% | -2,706 | -73.35% | 3,689 |
| Clarke | 3,840 | 59.93% | 2,451 | 38.25% | 117 | 1.83% | 1,389 | 21.68% | 6,408 |
| Clay | 2,801 | 38.38% | 4,452 | 61.00% | 45 | 0.62% | -1,651 | -22.62% | 7,298 |
| Coahoma | 1,427 | 29.40% | 3,375 | 69.54% | 51 | 1.05% | -1,948 | -40.14% | 4,853 |
| Copiah | 4,041 | 41.44% | 5,643 | 57.87% | 68 | 0.70% | -1,602 | -16.43% | 9,752 |
| Covington | 3,952 | 54.63% | 3,169 | 43.81% | 113 | 1.56% | 783 | 10.82% | 7,234 |
| DeSoto | 22,565 | 60.92% | 13,976 | 37.73% | 502 | 1.36% | 8,589 | 23.19% | 37,043 |
| Forrest | 10,380 | 49.60% | 10,223 | 48.85% | 326 | 1.56% | 157 | 0.75% | 20,929 |
| Franklin | 2,091 | 56.98% | 1,502 | 40.93% | 77 | 2.10% | 589 | 16.05% | 3,670 |
| George | 4,452 | 81.58% | 951 | 17.43% | 54 | 0.99% | 3,501 | 64.16% | 5,457 |
| Greene | 2,967 | 72.58% | 1,039 | 25.42% | 82 | 2.01% | 1,928 | 47.16% | 4,088 |
| Grenada | 3,685 | 50.25% | 3,556 | 48.49% | 92 | 1.25% | 129 | 1.76% | 7,333 |
| Hancock | 8,358 | 70.89% | 3,278 | 27.80% | 154 | 1.31% | 5,080 | 43.09% | 11,790 |
| Harrison | 25,836 | 58.07% | 17,955 | 40.36% | 700 | 1.57% | 7,881 | 17.71% | 44,491 |
| Hinds | 15,604 | 21.56% | 56,131 | 77.55% | 649 | 0.90% | -40,527 | -55.99% | 72,384 |
| Holmes | 1,037 | 16.10% | 5,347 | 83.03% | 56 | 0.87% | -4,310 | -66.93% | 6,440 |
| Humphreys | 745 | 25.57% | 2,152 | 73.85% | 17 | 0.58% | -1,407 | -48.28% | 2,914 |
| Issaquena | 202 | 40.16% | 293 | 58.25% | 8 | 1.59% | -91 | -18.09% | 503 |
| Itawamba | 5,788 | 77.49% | 1,591 | 21.30% | 90 | 1.20% | 4,197 | 56.19% | 7,469 |
| Jackson | 20,888 | 63.70% | 11,433 | 34.87% | 468 | 1.43% | 9,455 | 28.84% | 32,789 |
| Jasper | 2,591 | 43.15% | 3,348 | 55.75% | 66 | 1.10% | -757 | -12.61% | 6,005 |
| Jefferson | 369 | 11.07% | 2,928 | 87.82% | 37 | 1.11% | -2,559 | -76.75% | 3,334 |
| Jefferson Davis | 1,676 | 35.98% | 2,946 | 63.25% | 36 | 0.77% | -1,270 | -27.26% | 4,658 |
| Jones | 13,784 | 64.84% | 7,123 | 33.51% | 350 | 1.65% | 6,661 | 31.34% | 21,257 |
| Kemper | 1,439 | 34.76% | 2,655 | 64.13% | 46 | 1.11% | -1,216 | -29.37% | 4,140 |
| Lafayette | 7,122 | 45.98% | 8,162 | 52.69% | 207 | 1.34% | -1,040 | -6.71% | 15,491 |
| Lamar | 11,817 | 67.82% | 5,359 | 30.75% | 249 | 1.43% | 6,458 | 37.06% | 17,425 |
| Lauderdale | 11,829 | 55.90% | 8,976 | 42.42% | 356 | 1.68% | 2,853 | 13.48% | 21,161 |
| Lawrence | 2,985 | 57.93% | 2,088 | 40.52% | 80 | 1.55% | 897 | 17.41% | 5,153 |
| Leake | 3,638 | 52.54% | 3,218 | 46.48% | 68 | 0.98% | 420 | 6.07% | 6,924 |
| Lee | 14,672 | 58.29% | 10,293 | 40.89% | 207 | 0.82% | 4,379 | 17.40% | 25,172 |
| Leflore | 1,946 | 25.00% | 5,625 | 72.25% | 214 | 2.75% | -3,679 | -47.26% | 7,785 |
| Lincoln | 6,957 | 60.92% | 4,342 | 38.02% | 121 | 1.06% | 2,615 | 22.90% | 11,420 |
| Lowndes | 8,838 | 49.64% | 8,822 | 49.55% | 143 | 0.80% | 16 | 0.09% | 17,803 |
| Madison | 19,008 | 48.71% | 19,670 | 50.40% | 347 | 0.89% | -662 | -1.70% | 39,025 |
| Marion | 5,545 | 62.54% | 3,215 | 36.26% | 107 | 1.21% | 2,330 | 26.28% | 8,867 |
| Marshall | 4,197 | 46.03% | 4,850 | 53.20% | 70 | 0.77% | -653 | -7.16% | 9,117 |
| Monroe | 7,054 | 57.33% | 5,149 | 41.84% | 102 | 0.83% | 1,905 | 15.48% | 12,305 |
| Montgomery | 2,004 | 51.57% | 1,821 | 46.86% | 61 | 1.57% | 183 | 4.71% | 3,886 |
| Neshoba | 5,219 | 64.58% | 2,770 | 34.27% | 93 | 1.15% | 2,449 | 30.30% | 8,082 |
| Newton | 4,574 | 62.22% | 2,618 | 35.61% | 159 | 2.16% | 1,956 | 26.61% | 7,351 |
| Noxubee | 833 | 23.28% | 2,727 | 76.22% | 18 | 0.50% | -1,894 | -52.93% | 3,578 |
| Oktibbeha | 5,425 | 42.57% | 7,195 | 56.46% | 124 | 0.97% | -1,770 | -13.89% | 12,744 |
| Panola | 5,817 | 48.65% | 5,976 | 49.98% | 164 | 1.37% | -159 | -1.33% | 11,957 |
| Pearl River | 10,083 | 76.67% | 2,856 | 21.72% | 212 | 1.61% | 7,227 | 54.95% | 13,151 |
| Perry | 2,975 | 68.14% | 1,327 | 30.39% | 64 | 1.47% | 1,648 | 37.75% | 4,366 |
| Pike | 5,937 | 46.24% | 6,772 | 52.75% | 130 | 1.01% | -835 | -6.50% | 12,839 |
| Pontotoc | 6,599 | 68.44% | 2,941 | 30.50% | 102 | 1.06% | 3,658 | 37.94% | 9,642 |
| Prentiss | 5,030 | 64.84% | 2,608 | 33.62% | 120 | 1.55% | 2,422 | 31.22% | 7,758 |
| Quitman | 813 | 28.99% | 1,937 | 69.08% | 54 | 1.93% | -1,124 | -40.09% | 2,804 |
| Rankin | 29,861 | 64.01% | 16,133 | 34.58% | 660 | 1.41% | 13,728 | 29.43% | 46,654 |
| Scott | 4,058 | 51.54% | 3,745 | 47.57% | 70 | 0.89% | 313 | 3.98% | 7,873 |
| Sharkey | 449 | 27.39% | 1,178 | 71.87% | 12 | 0.73% | -729 | -44.48% | 1,639 |
| Simpson | 5,454 | 58.08% | 3,784 | 40.29% | 153 | 1.63% | 1,670 | 17.78% | 9,391 |
| Smith | 4,250 | 65.34% | 2,158 | 33.18% | 96 | 1.48% | 2,092 | 32.16% | 6,504 |
| Stone | 3,628 | 69.14% | 1,530 | 29.16% | 89 | 1.70% | 2,098 | 39.98% | 5,247 |
| Sunflower | 1,839 | 28.74% | 4,505 | 70.41% | 54 | 0.84% | -2,666 | -41.67% | 6,398 |
| Tallahatchie | 1,803 | 37.36% | 2,929 | 60.69% | 94 | 1.95% | -1,126 | -23.33% | 4,826 |
| Tate | 4,969 | 59.67% | 3,215 | 38.61% | 143 | 1.72% | 1,754 | 21.06% | 8,327 |
| Tippah | 5,205 | 72.15% | 1,867 | 25.88% | 142 | 1.97% | 3,338 | 46.27% | 7,214 |
| Tishomingo | 5,113 | 74.34% | 1,654 | 24.05% | 111 | 1.61% | 3,459 | 50.29% | 6,878 |
| Tunica | 637 | 27.34% | 1,645 | 70.60% | 48 | 2.06% | -1,008 | -43.26% | 2,330 |
| Union | 6,307 | 69.52% | 2,649 | 29.20% | 116 | 1.28% | 3,658 | 40.32% | 9,072 |
| Walthall | 2,657 | 55.01% | 2,128 | 44.06% | 45 | 0.93% | 529 | 10.95% | 4,830 |
| Warren | 6,709 | 46.84% | 7,438 | 51.93% | 176 | 1.23% | -729 | -5.09% | 14,323 |
| Washington | 3,336 | 27.51% | 8,667 | 71.48% | 122 | 1.01% | -5,331 | -43.97% | 12,125 |
| Wayne | 4,061 | 55.09% | 3,211 | 43.56% | 100 | 1.36% | 850 | 11.53% | 7,372 |
| Webster | 2,993 | 72.86% | 1,077 | 26.22% | 38 | 0.93% | 1,916 | 46.64% | 4,108 |
| Wilkinson | 1,057 | 30.23% | 2,314 | 66.19% | 125 | 3.58% | -1,257 | -35.96% | 3,496 |
| Winston | 3,342 | 51.07% | 3,151 | 48.15% | 51 | 0.78% | 191 | 2.92% | 6,544 |
| Yalobusha | 2,587 | 50.16% | 2,486 | 48.21% | 84 | 1.63% | 101 | 1.96% | 5,157 |
| Yazoo | 3,519 | 42.86% | 4,604 | 56.08% | 87 | 1.06% | -1,085 | -13.22% | 8,210 |
| Totals | 459,396 | 51.91% | 414,368 | 46.83% | 11,147 | 1.26% | 45,028 | 5.09% | 884,911 |
Reeves won three of four congressional districts.[89]
| District | Reeves | Hood | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 59% | 40% | Trent Kelly |
| 2nd | 32% | 67% | Bennie Thompson |
| 3rd | 54% | 45% | Michael Guest |
| 4th | 63% | 35% | Steven Palazzo |
Partisan clients
The National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) today announced its endorsement of Tate Reeves for governor in the 2019 Mississippi primary election.
Official campaign websites