Coming into Tuesday’s election, Brandon Presley’s formula for an upset win over incumbent Tate Reeves in the Governor’s race included dominating the vote in the counties west of I-55 (the Delta and the southwest portions of the state), Hinds County and turning from red to blue his home turf of Northeast Mississippi.
That didn’t happen. Reeves defeated Presley by about the same margin as he beat Jim Hood four years ago.
When the smoke had cleared Tuesday, the biggest surprise came in Presley’s own backyard. Presley managed to flip only one county in north Mississippi that went for Reeves in 2019: Lowndes.
That year, Reeves carried Lowndes County by 2 points. (Interestingly, Lowndes also supported Trump over Biden in the 2020 election.) Tuesday night, Presley won by 6.5 points. That’s an 8.5-point gain in two voting cycles.
But flipping Lowndes was about the only bright spot in a disappointing night for the Presley campaign.
Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay, Noxubee, Chickasaw and Kemper counties represented the only contiguous counties won by Presley outside the “west of I-55” corridor. The extended Golden Triangle was a patch of blue in a sea of East Mississippi red.
Reeves duplicated the north Mississippi dominance he enjoyed in 2019, offsetting the loss of Lowndes County by an even bigger swing in Lafayette County, where Reeves lost by 4.2 points in 2019, but won by 6.6 points Tuesday.
The sting of Presley’s defeat is magnified by losses in Lee and Monroe counties, which straddle Presley’s life-long hometown of Nettleton. He lost both counties even though his personal popularity in the area has been off the charts for years.
Name recognition was an obstacle for Presley in most of the state, but certainly not in north Mississippi where people knew him and knew his track record of getting things done for regular folks in his four terms as Northern District Public Service Commissioner. Presley spoke of the people of north Mississippi as family.
There is a saying blood is thicker than water. With the exception of Lowndes County, there was a higher devotion – a devotion to party.
And that’s what stands out most today: It was a home game loss that spoiled Presley’s dream.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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