Did MS Gov. Tate Reeves — a staunch Republican — really endorse Kamala Harris?
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves — a staunch Republican — appeared to mock-endorse former Vice President Kamala Harris in the Democratic primary after she said in a recent interview that she “might” enter the race.
“I hereby give my complete and total endorsement to Kamala Harris in the Democratic primary for any office in the land,” Reeves said in a Feb. 24 post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We need more of her ‘brat’ energy in their party.”
The post caused confusion among some of the governor’s constituents who took the statement as a real endorsement or suspected someone hacked his social media.
“Are you kidding me! The citizens of the state of Mississippi overwhelmingly voted for President Trump,” one person commented. “So you are publicly going against the state where you govern.”
“Have you forgotten you’re Republican or did you only turn Republican to get the office, and then you switch back,” another person commented.
Others, however, played into the governor’s irony and clarified that he didn’t actually support Harris or the Democratic Party.
“It’s a joke, people. He wants the weakest candidate for them,” a person commented.
So, what did the governor mean with his post? Here’s what we know.
Does Reeves actually support a Harris run?
Yes, but not because he supports her presidency. He believes Harris would win in any Democratic primary and lose against any Republican candidate, the governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff Cory Custer told McClatchy News in a Feb. 27 email.
“If she is the Democrat nominee, that is a massive advantage to Republican candidates, and why Governor Reeves encourages her to run in any and all Democratic primaries,” Custer said.
Reeves strongly backed President Donald Trump during the 2024 election and continues to publicly support him.
Will Harris run for president in 2028?
It’s unclear if Former Vice President Kamala Harris will run again in the 2028 presidential election.
“I haven’t decided. I might,” she told author and internet personality Sharon McMahon who asked if she would run in 2028, according to a Feb. 24 post on X by political reporter Alex Thompson.
Which Republicans voted for Harris over Trump in the 2024 presidential election?
While Reeves voted for Trump, some other republicans did vote for democratic nominee, former Vice President Kamala Harris, in the 2024 presidential election.
These are the high-profile Republicans who voted for Harris over Trump in 2024 according to TIME:
- Former Gov. of California Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Former Vice President Dick Cheney
- Former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney
- Former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger
- Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as White House director of communications under Trump
- Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff DuncanFormer Sen. Jeff Flake
- More than 200 former Bush, McClain and Romney staffers
- Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
- Former Virginia Rep. Denver Riggleman
- Former Michigan Rep. Fred Upton
- Former New Hampshire Attorney General Tom Rath
- Former New Hampshire Sen. Gordon Humphrey
- Former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham
- Jimmy McCain, son of former Arizona Sen. and Republican presidential candidate John McCain
- Wisconsin Sen. Rober Cowles
- John Giles, former mayor of Mesa, Arizona
- Former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte
- Former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Central Intelligence Agency William Webster
- Former Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor Olivia Troye