Friday was the deadline for candidates to file their finance reports of how much money they raised and spent through the end of April.
In 2019, Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves raised $1,041,549 to support his run for governor. He enters May with $6.7 million cash on hand across all campaign accounts.
“Tate Reeves is the conservative choice for governor. He’s the only candidate in the race who opposes raising the gas tax and expanding Obamacare,” said campaign spokesman Parker Briden. “We’re gearing up to defeat the Democrats trying to turn Mississippi blue, and this overwhelming fundraising effort gives us the tools we need to get it done.”
Attorney General Jim Hood, who is the Democrat frontrunner for Governor has almost $1.2 million on hand. Hood’s campaign says their fundraising shows increased momentum and the campaign finance growth in the past four months for Hood’s campaign has seen greater increases than all of 2018.
The Hood for Governor Campaign has raised $755,627 in the first four months of 2019, as compared to $716,174 being raised in all of 2018. The Hood finance report also shows that the campaign has increased its cash-on-hand to $1,185,284. In addition, the Hood campaign said more than 96 percent of contributions were from individuals and more than 86 percent of all contributions were from Mississippi donors.
“It is indeed encouraging to see Republicans, Democrats, and Independents contributing to our campaign to bring change to our state by creating jobs to get our economy moving and keep our kids at home with good jobs,” said AG Hood.
A surprise in the Governor’s race campaign funds came with Former Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr., who will likely be Reeves’ primary opponent. Waller reported having nearly $583K in March and April while GOP gubernatorial candidate Representative Robert Foster reported having roughly $19K in cash on hand.
“The outpouring of support for Bill Waller in such a short amount of time is exciting to see, and it’s a sign of real momentum building all across the state,” said Finance Committee member, Leland Speed. “Bill Waller is focused on finding conservative solutions to the challenges facing Mississippi, and more and more people are joining the campaign every day. We will continue to work hard to ensure he has the resources needed to deliver his message to all voters.”
Nine Democrats are in the race alongside AG Hood, however, there is a drastic disparity in cash flow between the candidates. Former Jackson State Administrator Velesha Williams reported having $18K on hand, while Hinds District Attorney Robert Schuler Smith reported just over $10K.
In the race for Lieutenant Governor, current Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann reported $2.74 million in cash-on-hand. Of that, Hosemann’s campaign says more than $366K worth of donations has been gathered in the past four months.
“We continue to be encouraged by the support Mississippians have conveyed for our candidacy,” Hosemann said. “A strong economy, accessible healthcare, quality education system, and solid infrastructure—these are at the top of our priority list, and the message is resonating with citizens from Corinth to the Coast. Together, we can ensure a better future in Mississippi for our children and grandchildren.”
The only Democrat running for Lieutenant Governor is current Representative Jay Hughs of Oxford. Hughes who is a strong education advocate reported just over $860K in cash-on-hand in the most recent campaign finance report.
The Primary Election will be held on August 6th, with the General Election set for November 5th, 2019.
