Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves is ready for his next political run if campaign money in hand means anything. Mississippi’s statewide elected officials and legislators filed campaign finance annual reports this week.

Click here to access the search function for full reports.

Here are summaries for statewide officials:

• Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who is term limited, transferred his campaign cash last year to a political action committee called Imagine Mississippi PAC. In the annual report, Bryant’s PAC reported $220,000 in spending in 2017, including donations to several Republican politicians and political candidates. The PAC reported $543,211.66 cash on hand.

• Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, who is eyeing a 2019 gubernatorial run, raised $1.2 million and spent $173,000 in 2017. Much of that spending was on temporary staffing and printing of campaign materials. He also donated $2,000 to the campaign of newly elected Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer. Reeves’ total cash on hand is $5.4 million, by far the most of any politician in Mississippi.

• Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood, a Democrat who is also eyeing a 2019 gubernatorial run, raised $662,500 and spent $305,000 in 2017, bringing his total cash on hand to $656,000.

• Republican Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, who many believe could run for governor or lieutenant governor in 2019, raised $674,000 in 2017, bringing his total cash on hand to $2.0 million.

• Republican Treasurer Lynn Fitch raised $70,000 in 2017, but she spent $87,000, bringing her total cash on hand to $49,000.

• Republican Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney raised $150,000 in 2017, bringing his total cash on hand to $261,000.

• Republican Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Cindy Hyde-Smith raised $51,000 in 2017, bringing her total cash on hand to $213,000.

• Republican Auditor Stacey Pickering raised $3,288 in 2017, bringing his total cash on hand to $30,000.

• Republican Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert raised $13,000 in 2017, bringing his total cash on hand to $151,000.

• Republican Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall raised $90,000 in 2017, bringing his total cash on hand to $165,000.

• Republican Transportation Commissioner Tom King raised $22,000 in 2017, bringing his total cash on hand to $124,000.

• Democratic Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley raised $13,500 in 2017 but spent the same amount, leaving his total cash on hand at $448.

• Democratic Public Service Commissioner Cecil Brown raised $0 in 2017 but spent $37,000, dropping his cash on hand to $16,000.

• Republican Public Service Commissioner Sam Britton raised $6,000 in 2017, bringing his total cash on hand to $7,500.


We want to hear from you!

By listening more intently and understanding the people who make up Mississippi’s communities, our reporters put a human face on how policy affects everyday Mississippians. We’re listening closely to our readers to help us continue to align our work with the needs and priorities of people from all across Mississippi. Please take a few minutes to tell us what’s on your mind by clicking the button below.


Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

Adam Ganucheau, as Mississippi Today's editor-in-chief, oversees the newsroom and works with the editorial team to fulfill our mission of producing high-quality journalism in the public interest. Adam has covered politics and state government for Mississippi Today since February 2016. A native of Hazlehurst, Adam has worked as a staff reporter for AL.com, The Birmingham News and The Clarion-Ledger and his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Adam earned his bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Mississippi.