Mississippi Governor’s race ramps up

Updated: May. 16, 2019 at 8:13 PM CDT
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JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) -The statewide primary election is less than three months away. And the race for Governor is picking up in new ways with more ads and polling.

Jim Hood’s campaign is touting new polling that shows Hood with a five point edge over Tate Reeves in a general election matchup. And Reeves’ TV ad repeats the phrase, “Jim Hood won’t. But I will.”

Full Potential

Mississippi is moving in the right direction. We need a governor strong enough to take us to our full potential.

Posted by Tate Reeves on Wednesday, April 24, 2019

But don’t be confused, their matchup isn’t a done deal.

Republican Bill Waller, Jr.'s campaign is releasing a digital ad with comments like this.

“Justice Waller has the best chance of winning the general election in November,” said Dan Fordice in the ad.

And Robert Foster tweeting Wednesday that Republicans can’t let a Democrat win in November.

Millsaps poltical science professor Nathan Shrader explains why you’re seeing a common thread from GOP candidates.

“This is a stronger than usual Democratic candidate," explained Dr. Nathan Shrader. "Which is why I think you see both the Waller and Reeves campaigns sort of stressing the idea that yeah they’re the ones that can beat him. Because they’re not used to being in this position of being threatened to this degree in a general election by the Democrat.”

Still, that polling from a Democratic firm shows Hood with higher favorability compared to Reeves.

So, what does all this mean for Jim Hood?

“He needs to show an overwhelming level of support within his own party because now you see Reeves and Waller and those Republicans already aiming at him," added Shrader. "So, he needs to convincingly win his party nomination.”

Shrader says people should prepare for this race to keep ramping up, both in the primaries and the general election.

“This is one of those cases where because candidates are engaging the voters earlier than usual and more frequently than usual, I hope that this helps accelerate turnout and participation," said Shrader. "Maybe forcing people to start paying attention to this sooner than they would otherwise.”

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