Mississippi held its general election on November 7, 2023, deciding 174 legislative seats and 14 statewide offices led by the governorship. No chamber changed party control.
Highlights
- Republicans kept full control of state government: Tate Reeves (R) won a second term, Republicans held every other office elected by statewide vote, and the party kept its two-thirds supermajority in the Senate.
- Reeves beat Brandon Presley (D), a utility regulator and second cousin of Elvis Presley, by about 3 points, running well behind the rest of the Republican ticket. Presley outraised Reeves and campaigned on expanding Medicaid and on cleaning up corruption, pointing to welfare money spent on pet projects for the wealthy and well-connected. Reeves finished just above 50%, enough to avoid the runoff that a 2020 constitutional change requires when no candidate wins a majority. Voting problems surfaced in Hinds County, where officials ran short of ballots and judges ordered polls kept open late.
- Each party flipped one seat on the three-member Public Service Commission, so it stays two Republicans and one Democrat. State Rep. De'Keither Stamps (D) unseated Commissioner Brent Bailey (R) by about 2 points in the Central District, reversing Bailey's narrow 2019 win over him, and Chris Brown (R) ran unopposed for the Northern District seat Democrats had held.
- The other seven Republican statewide incumbents, including Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann (R), won by about 16 to 21 points. Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons (D) held the Central District seat.
- In the legislature, 130 seats drew no general-election opponent. The only legislator to lose in November was Sen. Kelvin Butler (I), who ran for re-election as an independent; Gary Brumfield (D) beat him by about 11 points in Senate District 38. In the House, Republicans picked up two open Democratic-held seats, with Jim Estrada (R) in District 33 and Celeste Hurst (R) in District 75, while Keith Jackson (D) won independent-held District 45. When the new House convened, it elected Rep. Jason White (R) as speaker, succeeding Philip Gunn.
Legislature
- House (122 seats): 42 D, 78 R, 2 other or vacant before the election, 41 D, 79 R, 2 other or vacant after; control stayed with Republicans.
- Senate (52 seats): 17 D, 35 R before the election, 16 D, 36 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
Statewide races
| Race | Winner | Others | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | Tate Reeves (R) 50.94% | Brandon Presley (D) 47.7%, Gwendolyn Gray (I) 1.36% | |
| Agriculture Commissioner | Andy Gipson (R) 57.8% | Robert Bradford (D) 42.2% | |
| Attorney General | Lynn Fitch (R) 58.1% | Greta Martin (D) 41.9% | |
| Auditor | Shad White (R) 58.6% | Larry Bradford (D) 41.4% | |
| Insurance Commissioner | Mike Chaney (R) 59.3% | Bruce Burton (D) 40.7% | |
| Lt. Governor | Delbert Hosemann (R) 60.74% | D. Ryan Grover (D) 39.26% | |
| Public Service Commissioner (Central District) | De'Keither Stamps (D) 51.08% | Brent Bailey (R) 48.92% | Incumbent defeated |
| Public Service Commissioner (Northern District) | Chris Brown (R) 100% | Unopposed | |
| Public Service Commissioner (Southern District) | Nelson Wayne Carr (R) 100% | Unopposed | |
| Secretary of State | Michael Watson (R) 59.5% | Ty Pinkins (D) 40.5% | |
| Transportation Commissioner (Central District) | Willie Simmons (D) 55.22% | Ricky Pennington Jr. (R) 44.78% | |
| Transportation Commissioner (Northern District) | John Caldwell (R) 100% | Unopposed | |
| Transportation Commissioner (Southern District) | Charles Busby (R) 71.78% | Steven Brian Griffin (I) 28.22% | |
| Treasurer | David McRae (R) 58.4% | Addie Lee Green (D) 41.6% |