Mississippi's Republican Governor Wins Reelection

UPDATE Nov 8, 2023 1:06 AM CST

Not long after his Democrat challenger called him to concede, the AP officially called the Mississippi gubernatorial race for incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves. The race was, per the outlet, "unusually competitive" for the "GOP stronghold" of a state, where Republicans have held fort in the governor's mansion for two decades now and no Democrat presidential contender has carried the state since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Republicans also hold all the statewide offices (a situation that did not change Tuesday night, per Decision Desk HQ) and a significant legislative majority. A voting "mess" of long lines and, in some locations, ballots running out, disrupted the election a bit, and some counties were ordered to extend polling hours.

Nov 7, 2023 11:06 PM CST

While the race hasn't been officially called, it appears Mississippi's incumbent Republican governor, Tate Reeves, will be holding onto the position. His Democrat challenger, Elvis Presley cousin Brandon Presley, called Reeves during the 10pm hour of his watch party to concede, WTVA reports. "We didn't win it, they did. But we won the hearts and souls of hundreds of thousands of Mississippians," Presley told supporters, according to CNN. "Unfortunately, it looks like we came up a little short and I spoke with Governor Reeves just a minute ago. We congratulated him on his victory."