The top two vote-getters in Mississippi's Republican governor's primary election are addressing their supporters as a runoff in three weeks looks likely. MPB's Ashley Norwood has more.
Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves is hoping to dodge a run-off election against his opponent, former state Supreme Court Justice Bill Waller Jr. As of midnight last night, Reeves was just short of 50 percent with Waller at around 33 percent. In a speech around 11:30 last night, Reeves told supporters at a restaurant in Flowood that he is confident about his chances against Waller.
"What I can tell you, I am totally and completely confident that number one, we are going to have a conservative as the Republican nominee for Governor. I can tell you tonight that I am going to be the Republican nominee for Governor of Mississippi. And I can tell you tonight, we are going to beat Jim Hood in November," said Reeves.
Despite the gap in the number of votes, Waller tells supporters he believes he's got a fighting chance in the event of a runoff.
"Folks I believe the people, the fifty-two percent, I think, they're going to rise up and we're going to take control of this state. I think, we need to start supporting our teachers instead of criticizing them. I think, we need to pay our teachers instead of seeing them at the welfare office," said Waller.
State Representative Robert Foster conceded in a speech last night. If a runoff between Reeves and Waller is needed, voters will return to the polls on August 27th. Ashley Norwood, MPB News.
