Says more committed to tax cuts than Gov. Reeves

Democratic candidate for governor Brandon Presley held a town hall at the Oxford-Lafayette Public Library last week, where he outlined his priorities and fielded questions from citizens.

He wasted no time in expressing his frustration with the status quo in Jackson. “Y’all know this; this state has problems,” he said. “Serious problems that require serious solutions.”

“Hospitals are shutting down all across Mississippi, and Tate Reeves acts as if this crisis doesn’t even exist. I promise that as soon as I take the oath of office, I will expand Medicaid within the first five minutes,” Presley said.

He told the audience that he had consulted with GOP leaders from neighboring states of Arkansas and Louisiana about their Medicaid expansion initiatives, saying he views the matter as “partisan politics at play in Mississippi, preventing residents from accessing proper health care services. The system in Jackson is currently bought and paid for by the highest bidder,” he declared.

According to Presley, Reeves is more concerned with making national headlines than with solving the state’s problems. “A governor should work with both parties to find consensus and reach across the aisle,” Presley said. “Politics in Mississippi need to return to the middle; that’s where the solutions are.”

Presley emphasized his dedication to bipartisan problem-solving in Jackson, highlighting his focus on education and health care. 

He encouraged Mississippians to look beyond partisan labels when voting this November. “I may be a Democrat, but I don’t like paying $3 for gas either,” he said.

Presley said he is more committed to tax cuts than Reeves. “In Mississippi, if you buy feed for a hog, you pay zero sales tax,” he said. “But if you buy formula for a baby, you pay the highest sales tax in the United States. I don’t want to hear Tate Reeves talk about being more pro-life when you tax life at the highest rate in America.”