Monday was the deadline for candidates to file their finance reports of how much money they raised and spent through the end of May. In the Governor’s race, Republican Tate Reeves is leading all of the candidates in fundraising with $6.3 million in cash on hand. Last month, Reeves raised more than half a million dollars to support his run for governor.
“Conservatives across Mississippi know that Tate Reeves is the only candidate who can defeat the Democrats this November,” said campaign spokesman Parker Briden.
Reeves is flanked by former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Billi Waller Jr., who raised roughly $175,573 in May. He has $541,000 to spend.
“I’m very encouraged and appreciative of the support of people all across Mississippi who are joining our campaign that’s focused on addressing the big challenges we face right here at home—like rebuilding our roads and bridges, saving access to rural health care and supporting our teachers and students,” said Bill Waller, Jr. “Ignoring problems won’t fix anything and that’s why I’m proposing ideas and solutions to position our state and economy for more growth and opportunities in the future.”
Representative Robert Foster reported raising $34,793 in May. Foster has reported having $16,597 in cash on hand.
“We are raising what we need to get our message out and it is reaching many people,” said Foster. “August 6th is going to be a very memorable day in Mississippi politics.”
Democrat front runner Attorney General Jim Hood is outpacing other Democrats in the race drastically and raised $210,000 in May. He has $1.2 million to spend.
There are six other Democrat candidates running for governor and four did not file their reports. District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith reported raising $3,400 and has $1,715 in cash on hand.
Campaign finance reports for various other state races show that Republicans are leading in fundraising as Lt. Governor candidate and current Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann’s campaign collected $259,600 in one month. In all, $2,882,267.67 cash-on-hand remains in Hosemann’s coffers.
“One of the points resonating with voters is the record we have worked hard to establish over the past three terms,” Hosemann said. “As Secretary of State, I made promises—like implementing a constitutional Voter ID law—and I kept them. We will bring the same level of commitment to this new role in order to make our State an even better place for our children and grandchildren.”
Democrat Representative Jay Hughes is also gunning for the position of Lieutenant Governor and reported $325,000 in contributions with $860,709 cash on hand.
View all of the campaign finance reports here.
The Primary Election will be held on August 6th, with the General Election set for November 5th, 2019.
