Incumbent Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann (pictured above) defeated challenger Chris McDaniel by nine points earlier this week following a heated campaign that turned increasingly nasty in the final weeks. Hosemann had come under increasing attacks for appointing Democrats to key committee chairmanships, resulting in the advancement of the liberal agenda in the statehouse. But in the end, Mississippi voters weren't swayed by that fact. For McDaniel – a sitting state senator – Tuesday's loss was his third unsuccessful campaign for higher office after two failed bids for U.S. Senate in the past decade.
Jameson Taylor, director of policy and legislative affairs at AFA Action, describes McDaniel as a "verified conservative," and Hosemann as "left-leaning." Uninformed voters, he argues, led to Hosemann's win.
"[Hosemann] blanketed the state with ads claiming to be a conservative, but voters didn't do their homework and they fell for it," Taylor tells AFN. "Hosemann is not a conservative. He supports Obamacare and Medicaid expansion. He's the sole reason that Mississippi still has a state income tax. He's very friendly to big government bureaucracy."
But Taylor says another message emerged from the battle for the lieutenant governor nomination.
"Even though McDaniel didn't win the [primary] election, he was instrumental in winning some major victories over the last four years by blocking and challenging Hosemann at every step," he explains. "This shows one very important thing: competition is absolutely necessary for Republicans.
"With competition we get more conservative policy. Without competition, without candidates running against each other, we tend to get mediocre, moderate policies."
'Famous name' Dem not likely to gain traction in guv's race
With a decisive Republican primary out of the way, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves can turn his full attention toward November, when he will take on a Democratic opponent with a famous last name. Brandon Presley thinks being related to Elvis (a second cousin) might help him unseat the first-term Republican governor.
But Taylor says the hype being generated by Democrats and the media will have minimal impact on the race, as he fully expects Reeves to gain a second four-year term in the conservative state.
"Democrats believe that there's an opening with Democrat challenger Brandon Presley. In fact, the Democratic Governors Association just announced that they are putting $750,000 into Presley's campaign," he reports. "Also, California Governor Gavin Newsom supports Presley."
According to Taylor, Presley is trying to sell voters in Mississippi on the idea of being a "champion of the little guy" by supporting the expansion of Medicaid and welfare. "Presley's not moderate in any way," he contends. "He is an absolute liberal who's going to run Mississippi just like Joe Biden."
The political activist predicts it is going to come down to voter turnout. "I believe that Republican turnout is going to be lower in November," he shares. "[And] I think on the other side, African-American voters are not going to be that excited about Brandon Presley. So, you're probably going to see reduced turnout all the way around."
"I believe in the end Tate Reeves will beat Brandon Presley … by at least ten points," he concludes.
Editor's Note: AFA Action is an affiliate of the American Family Association, the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates AFN.net.
