As the Mississippi governor’s race continues to heat up, incumbent Republican Tate Reeves received a surprising endorsement Thursday night.
Angela Cockerham, a state representative who came into the capitol as a Democrat before flipping independent, pledged her support to Reeves in a new TV ad where she asks Mississippians to reelect the governor.
The African-American lawmaker starts the commercial by saying she has disagreed with Reeves on plenty of occasions. However, teacher pay raises, a recently introduced $689 million hospital plan, and job creation were enough reasons for her stamp of approval.
“No one ever agrees with every decision that government leaders make. Tate Reeves and I, we disagree on plenty,” Cockerham told the camera. “But I will tell you this. When teachers deserved a raise, Tate got it done. When our hospitals struggled, Tate found the money. And on bringing new jobs, Tate Reeves made history.”
Cockerham, first elected to the legislature in 2004, is running unopposed in this year’s general election, which erases any immediate impact – positive or negative – her endorsement of Reeves could have on her being elected for another term.
Less than two weeks away from Election Day on Nov. 7, Reeves has successfully procured the bulk of Republican endorsements inside the capitol. But that doesn’t mean Democratic challenger Brandon Presley hasn’t also received a list of notable supporters.
Presley, a longtime public service commissioner in north Mississippi, has garnered support from most Democratic lawmakers as well as from politicians across the country, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, and former Republican Mississippi Congressman Mike Parker among others.
The full TV ad with Cockerham can be watched below.
