After a contentious and competitive gubernatorial race, Mississippi has recently sworn in Tate Reeves as the new governor for the next four years. This event symbolizes new leadership for Mississippi, which by extension means new leadership for all Union residents. This inauguration stands out because of both the unusual competitiveness of the 2019 gubernatorial race and the inauguration ceremony itself. This change in leadership possibly means some changes for Mississippians because the Mississippi legislature is also meeting for its annual session, and this is where Mississippi and Union residents’ voices will be heard the most.
The 2019 gubernatorial race was unusually competitive for Mississippi this past year. Tate Reeves faced considerable competition from not only the Democratic nominee but also from within his own party. Robert Foster and Bill Waller Jr. both gave Tate Reeves a run for his money, resulting in a run-off election between Waller and Reeves. A run-off election is highly unlikely in swing states; therefore, a run-off election in Mississippi is even more unusual. Ultimately, Reeves won the primary and faced Jim Hood in the general election. Reeves won the general election by a fair margin, but Hood won several districts that had in the past voted Republican, another unusual thing for a Mississippi election. In addition to the unusual competitiveness of this race, one party even deliberately spread fake news in a campaign attempt. Hood fought well against Reeves, but ultimately, as seems the tradition in Mississippi, the Republican candidate won.
In addition to Reeves’ victory, Republicans also won every major office in the state government, which has not happened in many years. Furthermore, Reeves and members of the Mississippi legislature attended the inauguration ceremonies this past week. Due to the recent storms that ravaged Mississippi, Reeves moved the inauguration ceremony inside and canceled the inauguration parade. This caused everyone to cram inside of the state capitol building, and authorities denied local media entry into the House chambers. Reeves did meet with reporters, however, and claimed that he will help Mississippi become a better place for businesses and that he will work to increase teacher pay. These were just some of the topics he touched. Furthermore, Reeves echoed President Trump’s inauguration speech by claiming that he will work “for all Mississippians.” In addition to this, Mississippi legislators had already returned to the capitol for a long session this year, and they already have a few bills in consideration. Hopefully, a change in leadership will help move Mississippi forward.
Mississippi has been in decline for several years. Despite mistakes made in the past, new leadership will hopefully begin to rectify these issues. Tate Reeves claims to serve “all Mississippians,” and if Mississippi grows under his leadership, Union will succeed as well. However, his record is not the best. Will Reeves make good on his promises? Will he help pay teachers more? Will he expand the workforce and help businesses? Will he also fight to maintain the freedoms Mississippi values? Only time will tell.
