The 2019 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2019, to choose the next governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Governor Phil Bryant was ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits. The Democratic Party nominated incumbent Attorney General Jim Hood, the only Democrat holding statewide office in Mississippi; the Republican Party nominated incumbent Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves. In the general election, Reeves defeated Hood by a margin of 5.08%, with Reeves significantly underperforming Donald Trump, who won the state by 18 points in 2016. This was the last gubernatorial election to be held under the state's electoral college system, which was abolished by a 2020 referendum.

Background Situated in the Deep South as a socially conservative Bible Belt state, Mississippi is one of the most Republican states in the country. No Democrat has been elected to the governorship since Ronnie Musgrove in 1999. However, the state's Democratic Attorney General, Jim Hood, who had held his office since 2004 and had yet to lose a statewide election, put the Republicans' winning streak of four elections in a row to the test, as the race became unusually competitive. Reeves defeated Hood in the general election by a margin of 5.1%, making this the closest a Democrat had come to winning a Mississippi gubernatorial election since 1999. Hood pulled off the best performance by a Democrat since the 2003 Mississippi gubernatorial election, when fellow Democrat Ronnie Musgrove took 45.81% of the vote. Hood flipped the counties of Chickasaw, Lafayette, Madison, Panola, and Warren, which had all voted for Republican Donald Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election.

Uniquely among the states, the Constitution of Mississippi at the time established a sort of electoral college at the state level. For the election of governor. Article 5, Section 140 of the state constitution stated that each state House district was to be assigned an electoral vote, and that a candidate running for governor must receive a majority of electoral votes (essentially, they must win a majority of state House districts) in addition to winning a majority of the popular vote in order to be elected governor.MS Const. art. V, § 140 Article 5, Section 141 of the state constitution stated that if no candidate won both a popular and electoral vote majority, the state House of Representatives would decide the winner, choosing from the two highest popular vote winners.MS Const. art. V, § 141. This provision came into play only one time in the state's history; Democratic candidate Ronnie Musgrove in the 1999 gubernatorial election garnered a plurality, but not a majority; the House selected Musgrove.

In the lead-up to the election, controversy emerged over these constitutional provisions establishing a state system of electoral votes, with a federal lawsuit claiming the provisions were racially biased. These provisions were put in place with the 1890 Mississippi Constitution, itself established by the segregationist Redeemers and overturning the Reconstruction-era 1868 Constitution, as part of Jim Crow Era policy to minimize the power of African Americans in politics. Because of this, as well as gerrymandering that packed African Americans into a small number of districts, the plaintiffs claied the provisions should be struck down on the basis of racial bias.

On November 3, 2020, an amendment was passed removing the electoral college, with 79% of the vote.

Republican primary Candidates Nominee Tate Reeves, lieutenant governor of Mississippi

Eliminated in runoff Bill Waller Jr., former chief justice of the Mississippi State Supreme Court and son of former Democratic Governor William "Bill" Waller. Sr (1972–1976)

Eliminated in primary Robert Foster, Mississippi state representative

Withdrawn Hal Marx, mayor of Petal (endorsed Tate Reeves)

Declined Thomas Duff, businessman Lynn Fitch, Mississippi state treasurer (running for Mississippi attorney general) Gerard Gibert, businessman and lottery board member Philip Gunn, speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives Trent Lott, former U.S. senator Chris McDaniel, Mississippi states senator and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014 and 2018 (endorsed Tate Reeves) Mike Randolph, presiding justice of the Mississippi State Supreme Court Andy Taggart, former chief of staff to Governor Kirk Fordice (running for Mississippi attorney general)

Endorsements

Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error RobertFoster TateReeves BillWaller Jr. UndecidedMason-DixonMason-Dixon July 24–27, 2019 500 ± 4.5% 13% 41% 31% 15%Impact Management GroupImpact Management Group June 10–14, 2019 354 ± 5.3% 9% 50% 19% 28%Mason-DixonMason-Dixon January 30 – February 1, 2019 400 ± 5.0% 9% 62% – 29%

Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error LynnFitch TateReeves UndecidedJMC AnalyticsJMC Analytics February 15–17, 2018 500 ± 4.4% 12% 21% 67%Mason-DixonMason-Dixon December 13–15, 2017 400 ± 5.0% 18% 37% 45%

Results

Runoff

Democratic primary Candidates Nominee Jim Hood, Mississippi attorney general

Eliminated in primary Michael Brown William Bond Compton Jr., candidate for governor of Mississippi in 2007 and 2011, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014, nominee for the Mississippi House of Representatives in the 83rd district in 2015 Robert J. Ray Robert Shuler Smith, Hinds County district attorney Gregory Wash Velesha Williams, former director for the Metro Jackson Community Prevention Coalition and former U.S. Army officer Albert Wilson, businessman and community organizer

Withdrawn Phillip West, former state representative and former mayor of Natchez (endorsed Jim Hood)

Declined Anthony Witherspoon, mayor of Magnolia

Endorsements

Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error JimHood Robert UndecidedTriumph CampaignsTriumph Campaigns January 29, 2018 2,145 ± 1.8% 36% 34% 30%

Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error JimHood Lumumba UndecidedTriumph Campaigns January 29, 2018 2,145 ± 1.8% 49% 27% 23%

Results

Other candidates Constitution Party Declared Bob Hickingbottom

Independents Declared David Singletary, U.S. Air Force veteran and former hotel owner

General election Predictions SourceRankingAs ofThe Cook Political ReportOctober 15, 2019Inside ElectionsNovember 8, 2019Sabato's Crystal BallNovember 8, 2019

Debates Dates Location Hood Reeves LinkOctober 10, 2019University of Southern MississippiHattiesburgParticipantParticipantOctober 14, 2019WCBI StudiosColumbusParticipantParticipant

Endorsements

Polling

Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error TateReeves (R) JimHood (D) DavidSingletary (I) Bob UndecidedNBC/Survey MonkeyNBC/Survey Monkey October 8–22, 2019 1,002 (RV) ± 4.7% 47% 40% 7% 2% 3%Targoz Market ResearchTargoz Market Research October 13–20, 2019 384 (LV) – 47% 46% – – 7%Mason-DixonMason-Dixon October 17–19, 2019 625 (LV) ± 4.0% 46% 43% – – 9%Hickman AnalyticsHickman Analytics October 13–16, 2019 508 (LV) ± 4.4% 42%46% – – –Hickman Analytics (D)Hickman Analytics (D) September 22–26, 2019 500 (LV) ± 4.0% 42% 45% – – –Hickman Analytics (D)Hickman Analytics (D) August 11–15, 2019 600 (LV) ± 4.0% 42% 43% – – –NBC News/SurveyMonkeyNBC News/SurveyMonkeyJuly 2–16, 20191,171 (RV)± 4.2% 51%42% – –6%Impact Management Group June 10–14, 2019 610 (LV) ± 4.0% 48% 36% 4% – 12%Hickman Analytics (D)Hickman Analytics (D) May 5–9, 2019 604 (LV) ± 4.0% 40% 45% – – –Mason-Dixon January 30 – February 1, 2019 625 (RV) ± 4.0% 42% 44% – – 14%OnMessage Inc. (R)OnMessage Inc. (R) January 28–30, 2019 600 (RV) ± 3.5% 51% 36% – – 13%Mason-DixonMason-Dixon April 12–14, 2018 625 (RV) ± 4.0% 39% 44% – – 17%Chism Strategies/Millsaps CollegeChism Strategies/Millsaps College December 15–19, 2017 578 (RV) ± 4.1% 45% 38% – – 18%Mason-Dixon December 13–15, 2017 625 (RV) ± 4.0% 37% 43% – – 20%

with Tate Reeves, Jim Hood, and Bill Waller Jr. Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error TateReeves (R) JimHood (D) BillWaller Jr. (I) UndecidedMason-Dixon January 30 – February 1, 2019 625 (RV) ± 4.0% 38% 40% 9% 13% with Bill Waller Jr. and Jim Hood Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error BillWaller Jr. (R) JimHood (D) DavidSingletary (I) UndecidedNBC News/SurveyMonkeyJuly 2–16, 20191,171 (RV)± 4.2% 53%41% –6%Impact Management Group June 10–14, 2019 610 (LV) ± 4.0% 43% 36% 4% 17%

Results

By county