Mississippi Today (https://mississippitoday.org/category/commentary/page/2/)
Read commentary on Mississippi government and politics from Bobby Harrison, Mississippi Today’s senior political reporter.
Hood has proposed reducing the state’s 7 percent sales tax on food. During at least one debate, Reeves proposed another cut to the personal income tax. The tax cut proposals are being made this election season even though the 2016 tax cut is just beginning to have an impact
If the race turns out as close as predicted, there could be a scenario where lawyers are arguing in federal court that the constitutional provisions throwing the election to the House should be blocked as the House is preparing to vote to elect the next governor.
The Mississippi Adequate Education Program provides the bulk of funding for local school districts. In the 2017 and 2018 sessions, Reeves and House Speaker Philip Gunn made the rewrite of the school funding formula one of their top legislative priorities.
Former chief justice filed the watershed case that established modern interpretation guidelines for Section 109, the state Constitution’s ethics clause designed to prevent public officials from profiting from their public service.
During last year’s U.S. Senate special election runoff the president made stops in Tupelo and on the Coast to campaign for Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Both northeast Mississippi and the Gulf Coast counties are again expected to be pivotal in the governor’s race.
After a contentious lieutenant governor primary against then-Senate Pro Tem Billy Hewes in 2011, Reeves’ work to shore up support in Gulf Coast counties paid off in Tuesday’s runoff. Winning over Waller and his supporters may be more difficult.
The former chief justice of the state Supreme Court has argued that changes in policies are needed, but he has been reluctant to say directly that his opponent, lieutenant governor Tate Reeves, bears some responsibility for current issues in Mississippi
In the 2008 session, Smith lost the speakership to the incumbent by a 63-61 margin in a dramatic and tense floor vote, marking the end of an era where the race played out in full view of the state
In just over two weeks, the lieutenant governor will know if his goal to be Mississippi’s next CEO is still on track or derailed despite years of planning and campaign cash on hand.
The attorney general has been planning for more than a year to run against Reeves bu
The statistic that most makes Reeves’ case is the fact that state revenue collections grew 4.9 percent with growth from sales and income tax revenue paving the way. But compared to the nation as a whole, jobs growth in the state has been slow and other time frames have seen better GDP growth.
Despite most Mississippians being OK with the economy there is still the perception Reeves is in a close race. Waller, Foster and Hood have been pointing out state issues and solutions such as infrastructure improvements and some form of Medicaid expansion.
The issue of increasing Mississippi’s gasoline tax, the fourth lowest in the nation, to fix roads and bridges is turning into one of the defining issues of this year’s campaign for governor.
A shutout of statewide Democratic candidates in November could place Mississippi politics in a position similar to where it was for much of its history where one party was so dominant that the general election meant little.
One of the central themes of Reeves’ campaign for governor is that he is going to protect the state from outsiders and their liberal policies. But in terms of passing socially conservative legislation through the Senate, he has often been criticized by fellow conservatives.