Brandon Presley’s campaign donations outpace incumbent Gov. Reeves nearly two to one

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Over the last four weeks, Republican incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves and his Democratic challenger Brandon Presley have been spending upwards of a million dollars a week, most of that on campaign ads.

However, that doesn’t even compare with how much voters have already given to both campaigns.

Campaign finance reports analyzed by 3 On Your Side show Reeves trailing Presley by several million dollars in donations, a nearly two-to-one margin.

“I think the money that we see in this race, particularly that money since July, is a reflection of momentum. I truly believe that I think it’s a reflection of people kicking the tires on this race, and trying to assess whether it will be truly competitive, and then people ultimately determining that Presley seems like a candidate who can win,” said Democratic analyst Brandon Jones.

Republican analyst Austin Barbour doesn’t buy it.

He cites a common theme we’ve heard many times, that much of that money flowing to Presley comes from outside Mississippi.

“That is the balance when you’re running as a Democrat in Mississippi because you do not have the donor base here to be competitive. And that’s why Presley has had to rely so heavily on the Democratic Governors Association and Joe Biden’s DNC to get his money in here to give him a chance,” Barbour said.

Barbour believes that national Democratic support will further influence Presley’s policy choices if he wins next week.

Jones thinks Mississippi already has someone in office who’s swayed by his donors.

“It’s almost the worst kept secret in Mississippi politics that Tate Reeves is a pay-to-play political leader. If you want to be successful with his within his administration, if you want him to support a particular policy, you had better bring a check,” Jones said.

Reeves’ campaign issued a statement in reference to the surge in donations for his opponent.

“The entire national liberal fundraising machine has been mobilized to support Brandon Presley. Money from D.C., California, and New York is flooding in to try and flip Mississippi blue. It is up to Mississippi conservatives to fight back,” said spokesperson Clifton Carroll.

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