Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is term-limited, and he is well aware of the looming 2027 statewide elections that are approaching. During his time at the stump at the Neshoba County Fair on Thursday, the Republican governor articulated his ideal candidate to succeed him as the state’s top elected official.
While refraining from endorsing one of the two candidates already in the 2027 gubernatorial race — Ag Commissioner Andy Gipson and former House Speaker Philip Gunn — or any prospective office seeker, Reeves stressed that, in his opinion, his successor would best benefit Mississippi if he or she picked up the proverbial torch and continued following the path of conservative governance outlined over the past six-plus years.
“What happens during next year’s statewide elections will have a huge impact on the future of this state that we all love. Elections are not just about television ads, campaign slogans, or who can nail their sign highest on a pole,” Reeves said. “Elections are about choices, and we all need to remember that choices have consequences. Elections determine whether a state moves forward or falls backward.”
Specifically, Reeves emphasized that his successor should follow his lead on economic development, tax policy, education reforms, and healthcare, and do so without allowing outside influences to stymie what he believes to be a tremendous record of progress.
Economic development
Reeves touted that, under his leadership, Mississippi has secured $85 billion in economic development projects, with the largest being a $20 billion data center in DeSoto County owned by Elon Musk-founded xAI. Notably, Reeves highlighted that his team has been responsible for cutting tape on the six largest economic development projects in state history.
However, with the big announcements and photo ops oftentimes comes pushback. The Southaven data center project in specific, along with others like it throughout Mississippi, have spurred widespread pushback and even lawsuits. Reeves has stood by the developments, despite being pressured to abandon ship. He said the next governor will have to be as firm as him in drowning out dissent, when necessary, if he or she wants the state to thrive economically.
“Mississippi is not just competing, Mississippi is winning,” Reeves said. “When companies want to move fast, build big, and get things done, they are looking at Mississippi. They want in on what Mississippi is doing. In boardrooms and C suites, the companies that are looking to expand are saying to themselves, ‘We better not miss on Mississippi.'”
“But here’s an unfortunate truth, and it’s mighty important. Our unprecedented momentum is not guaranteed/ It can be lost, and it can be lost quickly,” he continued. “Because the truth is the next governor can make a whole lot of bad choices. And he or she could do so very, very quickly.”
Reeves, who often refers to himself as a “numbers guy,” harped on a few other data points he finds to be a clear sign that Mississippi is heading in the right direction. Reeves lauded that Mississippi was recently recognized as No. 2 nationally in growth in job openings, No. 2 nationally for real wage growth, No. 2 nationally for household income growth. He added that the state’s unemployment has seen historic lows while workforce growth sees historic highs.
But for this to continue, Reeves beat the drum that his successor will have to be an economic-minded governor unafraid to limit the government’s role in citizens’ and businesses’ affairs.
Tax policy
Earlier in his governorship, Reeves’ top priority was eliminating Mississippi’s income tax – a policy position that put him at odds with some of his Republican colleagues. But he found an ally in House Speaker Jason White, whose efforts helped result in the state enacting a bill to phase out the income tax in 2025. Reeves even held a ceremonial signing in the front lawn of the governor’s mansion to celebrate the occasion.
To Reeves, the push to eliminate the income tax stemmed from a belief that the wages Mississippians earn from their jobs belong to them, not the government. But he warned prospective voters at the Neshoba County Fair that there are wolves disguised as sheep in the GOP who may agree with that principle in word, but they betray it in deed.
“A surefire way to boost incomes and keep our taxes low, or even better, make them nonexistent,” Reeves said. “It belongs to the people. And giving back what is rightfully yours is an instant pay raise that will benefit you and your family far more than some government program or politician in Jackson or Washington dreams up.”
Education reform
Mississippi once ranked in the cellar when it came to K-12 classroom results but has reversed course in recent years, as evidenced by the state recently reaching a No. 16 ranking in education from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Other notable achievements include a breakthrough in literacy rates, underscored by significant improvements in fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading scores, record-breaking high school graduation rates, and a downtick in dropouts.
“We need to be honest about how we got here,” Reeves said. “We got here through old conservative reforms.”
Reeves attributed educational successes to the state passing and enforcing legislation requiring third graders to be able to read at an adequate level before advancing to the fourth grade. That bill was passed in 2013 when Reeves was lieutenant governor, and since then, Mississippi has gone from just over 30% of third graders reading proficiently to 85% reaching that benchmark in state testing.
That legislation faced strong opposition at the time, with opponents primarily arguing that preparing youth for standardized tests doesn’t necessarily better educate them.
“The critics said we were setting up our kids for failure, and they said that we were setting our state back,” Reeves said. “More than a decade later, history has proven those critics wrong.”
The governor’s reminiscing of previous actions taken by him played right into how he wants his successor to handle a hot-button issue in today’s legislature — school choice. Reeves has been a long advocate of removing the ZIP code as the determining factor for where children are educated.
Opponents have argued that full expansion would be a detriment to the state’s overall public school scene, while sounding the alarm that expansion could also entail public money to private schools. Reeves, however, believes emboldening parents will do nothing but benefit future generations of Mississippians. And while recent efforts to pass school choice measures have failed, Reeves is hopeful that his successor will champion the cause.
“We build our own successes, and we raise the bar,” Reeves said. “That means giving parents more choices and more control over their child’s education.”
Healthcare
Instead of expanding Medicaid coverage for Mississippi’s working poor under the Affordable Care Act, Reeves waited until there was a change of the guard in the White House and developed a rural healthcare plan in collaboration with President Donald Trump’s administration. The state has since been given more than $200 million to support the plan, which has an overarching goal of providing reliable access to high-quality healthcare services to all rural Mississippians by 2031.
Mississippi has been at the forefront of a rural healthcare crisis with multiple hospitals in underserved areas perpetually at the brink of closure. Medicaid expansion has been floated by Democrats as a solution, with some Republicans supporting the measure contingent on a work requirement. Reeves, on the other hand, has remained staunch in his opposition to what he calls “Obamacare” expansion.
The governor’s dissent comes from a concern that Mississippi could be on the hook for billions of dollars in healthcare costs. When Medicaid expansion was a red-hot topic, the federal government funded 90% of healthcare expenses for those who qualified, with the state only having to cover 10%. Now, the ratio has changed to the feds covering 77% compared to the state’s 23%.
Reeves warned voters of Democrats disguised as Republicans who could run for governor, without name-dropping anybody, and added that those individuals would be eager to expand Medicaid coverage. He also warned that a weak leader could be swayed by lawmakers into making what he thinks would be a grave error regarding Medicaid.
“We can, and we will move up the rankings in healthcare just like we have in education. But to do so, we have to elect, as our next governor, someone who will not cave in to the political will of a few misguided Democrat state legislators. Even some legislators who might have gotten elected as Republicans,” Reeves said. “We cannot let that happen.”
Governor’s race outlook
While Gipson and Gunn are the only candidates with official announcements at this time, the Republican field is expected to grow in the near future. Names circulating as potential GOP gubernatorial hopefuls include Attorney General Lynn Fitch, State Auditor Shad White, billionaire business tycoon Tommy Duff, and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann. On the Democratic ticket, 2023 runner-up Brandon Presley’s name has garnered some buzz, but no official announcements have been made by anyone within the party.
“It shouldn’t be a popularity contest,” Reeves said of the upcoming election to replace him. “It shouldn’t be about who spends the most money. It shouldn’t be about who knows the most people in one part of the state or another. It should be based on policy, because elections have consequences.”
