Gov. Reeves on the race to replace him, says ‘elections have consequences’

Gov. Tate Reeves said on Thursday that he will likely call lawmakers into a special legislative session soon to redraw the state legislative districts, but he didn’t offer a specific timeline.

Speaking to reporters in the muddy Founders Square at the Neshoba County Fair, Reeves said he believes lawmakers will eventually redraw congressional, judicial and legislative districts, but he expects lawmakers to take up legislative redistricting in a special session before January.

“I’ve spent a lot of time giving serious consideration to it,” Reeves said. “I expect it to happen. I’m not going to tell you a date today because I don’t know a date today.”

The governor also said he’s considering adding other topics to a special session agenda, mainly reforms to the state’s youth court system, because lawmakers mistakenly let the laws creating Mississippi’s youth courts expire earlier this year.

House Speaker Jason White on Thursday said he anticipates the House and Senate will form a joint committee to tackle redistricting efforts, and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said on Wednesday that he also wants legislators to redraw political districts.

White, who has previously handled redistricting legislation, told reporters that conversations about redistricting can lead to impassioned debates over race relations in the state, given Mississippi’s long, documented history of trying to prevent Black citizens from registering or voting.

“This isn’t about erasing our past or forgetting any of that,” White said. “This is about what’s best for Mississippi.”

Reeves is closing out his second term as governor, and term limits prevent him from running for reelection. The governor said he hopes voters next year will choose a conservative to succeed him in office and continue the state’s economic and education gains in recent years.

“It shouldn’t be a popularity contest,” Reeves said. “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 the other. It should be based on policy, because elections have consequences.”

Republican State Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson is one of only two declared gubernatorial candidates for 2027 so far, and the only such candidate to speak at the fair this year. He also gave the fair’s only fire and brimstone speech, and as is often the Baptist preacher’s style, his speech was part political stump and part sermon.

Gipson pitched himself as the un-candidate for next year’s GOP gubernatorial primary and vowed he’s “not a country-club Republican” who would be beholden to big-moneyed special interests.

“I hope I die five minutes before I ever become a country club Republican,” Gipson said. “… I’m the only candidate that’s the full package – legislative experience, executive leadership and private sector experience, and the only candidate that gets up and preaches the word of God every Sunday morning.”

But the other declared gubernatorial candidate, Republican former House Speaker Philip Gunn, while not on the speaking schedule because he’s not an incumbent, spent two days at the fair making the rounds at cabins and on the square, meeting and greeting folks and often surrounded by supporters.

Another potential gubernatorial candidate, billionaire businessman Tommy Duff – the co-richest person in the state along with his brother – also made the rounds at the fair on Thursday.

Duff told Mississippi Today that it’s still “pretty early” for him to make a decision or announcement on running.

“I love this state, and I’m travelling and meeting people and trying to figure out what the people are thinking about and what we can do to help everybody work together better,” Duff said.

Secretary of State Michael Watson has announced he’s running for lieutenant governor. In his speech, Watson rattled off items he viewed as accomplishments during his two terms as secretary of state.

He told reporters afterward that, if elected, he wants to focus on reducing government regulations on the business sector and believes he can bridge the divide that has existed in recent years between the House and the Senate and other political subdivisions.

“If I’m your next lieutenant governor, it’s going to happen,” Watson said. “Leadership matters.”