Reeves, Presley hit campaign trail ahead of Election Day in November

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - On the first day that some of you vote absentee to decide who is the next governor of Mississippi, Tate Reeves and Brandon Presley stayed busy on the campaign trail in Jackson looking to earn your vote.

Governor Reeves held a press conference outside his downtown mansion, making a commitment to stand with Mississippi women. He is advocating for legislation to be passed centered around protecting women’s spaces and their privacy.

Reeves was joined by Riley Ganes and Paula Scanlan, two former college swimmers who are also hoping to see legislation passed on this issue.

The women are a part of an organization called Independent Women’s Voice (IWV). The advocates expressed that they don’t want transgender athletes competing in their sports, nor do they think transgenders should be in their locker rooms and other private areas when it comes to athletics.

Lawmakers have already passed a bill that prevents biological males from competing in girls’ sports in Mississippi public schools. Now, Reeves is looking to expand upon that. The governor said he wants legislation to be passed that would clearly define what a woman is in the state’s statute.

However, the governor’s opponent, Democratic Candidate Brandon Presley, said he thinks the governor is bringing up this issue to deflect from more pressing matters he’s facing.

“One of the initial stages will be passing legislation that defines a woman as an adult female and defines a man as an adult male so that we can differentiate between the sexes,” said Governor Reeves. “We shouldn’t have to do that. It’s amazing to me that in 2023, we are going to have to take steps to do that.”

“He will come up with any smokescreen and any type of issue he can to hide from the fact that he’s at the center of the largest public corruption scandal in state history, and we’ve got a healthcare crisis,” said Presley. “So when you’ve got a healthcare crisis and your governor in the middle of the largest public corruption scandal in state history, what do you do? You go out and come up with some other issue to try to deflect from yourself, so it’s just typical games of Tate Reeves.”

Presley also picked up a key endorsement. The Mississippi Association of Educators endorsed him for governor at a public education forum. The forum gave people a chance to address their concerns about the state’s education during a Q and A session. MAE President Erica Jones said the association endorsed Presley after speaking with teachers who felt like he would be the candidate who would listen to them as much as possible.

Reeves and Presley are in the final push of their campaigns. The two will be trying to get your vote on Election Day, which is on November 7.

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