Republican Mississippi Gov. Leads Dem Challenger In Reelection Bid: POLL

Incumbent Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has a 7 percentage point lead ahead of his Democratic opponent, Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, in a head-to-head preview of the Nov. 7 gubernatorial race, according to a recent poll.

In the midst of his reelection campaign, Reeves tops Presley 46% to 39% with 15% “undecided,” according to a Magnolia Tribune/Mason-Dixon poll released Thursday. While both Reeves and Presley overwhelmingly control their party’s voters, 83% to 85%, respectively, Presley leads with independents by 5 percentage points.

The poll indicates a clear racial divide, as well, with Reeves garnering the majority of white votes at 65%, and Presley carrying the black electorate at 69%. Reeves leads the male vote by 19 percentage points, and Presley has a slight advantage with females by 3 percentage points.

Of the state’s six regions, the governor won five – including Jackson Metro by a slim margin of 2 percentage points. Presley only won one region, the Delta, which is predominately black.

Presley has a relatively low name recognition score compared to Reeves at 63% to 95%, respectively. Thirty-nine percent of poll respondents had a favorable opinion of Reeves, while 34% had a negative one. Meanwhile, 76% of respondents either had a neutral opinion of Presley or did not recognize his name.

Reeves serves as Mississippi’s 65th governor and started his career in pubic office as the state treasurer. He went on to become a two-term lieutenant governor before getting elected in 2019.

The poll surveyed 625 likely Mississippi voters over the course of Mar. 6 – 10, and had a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points.

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