Poll Watching (Week 2)

Discarding Polls - Not Even Once

Welcome Back

Welcome back to week 2 of Poll Watching, your weekly rundown of a handful of polls which explain the state of play across American political and cultural life. This is an exclusive for my paid subscribers, but free subscribers should feel assured that there will still be at least one weekly article available for absolutely free from this publication, and this series is to justify a paid subscription option so I can keep the lights on!

North Mississippi Public Service Commissioner and Democrat Brandon Presley may pose a serious challenge to incumbent Governor Tate Reeves.

Today’s polling recap will discuss one of 2023’s upcoming Gubernatorial elections, how comically unpopular Congress currently is and a lot more. Strap in and let’s get right into the polls and why they matter.

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Blue Wave in a Ruby Red State?

Earlier this Summer, I wrote that Democrat Brandon Presley had a shot at unseating scandal-ridden Governor Reeves in Mississippi - a poll this week vindicated my opinion.

Poll from Public Policy Polling commissioned by the Democratic Governors Association showing incumbent Gov. Reeves with a one point edge over Presley.

From a racist past to a racist present with a massive welfare scam in-between, Governor Reeves doesn’t have the best track record of any Governor in the country. Yet, in a state as racially polarised as Mississippi where over 80% of white voters support Republicans it probably doesn’t matter. Nonetheless, a recent poll paid for by the Democratic Governors Association has brought the race into the spotlight, and is seen as a target for the broader Democratic party.

In 2019, Reeves beat Democrat Jim Hood by just five points while in 2015, incumbent Republican Phil Bryant beat his Democratic opponent while garnering two thirds of the overall vote. This shows how embarrassingly weak of a candidate Reeves really is, and he is an overall nuisance for the Republican Governors Association since they have to keep bailing him out cycle after cycle. This year, Democrats have decided to go for the jugular, investing over $3.5 million in the Magnolia state in an attempt to dislodge one brick in the solid hold Republicans have in the Southern states. What’s more, with this outside spending aside, Presley actually still maintains a fundraising edge over Reeves. But will this be enough to rock the boat?