Hood pledges transparency at Jackson kickoff but dodges looming questions over Houston office

Attorney General Jim Hood called for rolling back sales tax on groceries and requiring all legislators and statewide officeholders to open their backroom deals to the public as part of a seven-point “Pledge to Mississippi Families” unveiled today as he officially qualified for Governor in the upcoming election.

Click image for the full press conference

“I’m running for Governor to move working families to the center of what matters. I will put working families first,” said General Hood in remarks to supporters at Mississippi’s new Museum of Civil Rights and History. “this isn’t about party; it’s not about partisanship– there’s already too much of that dragging our state down. This race is about getting work done and building a brighter future for our children and grandchildren.”

Hood’s seven-point pledge (similar to the Contract to Mississippians Chris McDaniel used on his run for U.S. Senate) included the following:

1. Honest and transparent government
2. Requiring all state legislators and statewide officials to allow the public to have access to all of their emails and other correspondence under the Mississippi Open Records Act
3. Providing tax relief for families by rolling back the sales tax on groceries
4. fixing crumbling roads and deteriorating bridges
5. improving education from statewide pre-k, to teacher pay, to making college more affordable
6. Expanding workforce development and job training at community colleges and technical schools
7. keeping rural hospitals open and fighting for accessible, quality healthcare.

Hood made several mentions of Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, whom he says has contributed to longstanding problems through granting tax cuts. Reeves is the Republican frontrunner in the gubernatorial race.

“By way of our lieutenant governor, Mississippi has given out hundreds of millions of your tax dollars to big out-of-state corporations that should have gone to fixing our roads, improving our schools, or giving tax relief to our own Mississippi businesses and working families,” said Hood.

Following Attorney General Jim Hood’s campaign qualification speech, Reeves campaign spokesman Parker Briden released the following statement:

“The Democratic Party is more radical today than it ever has been and Jim Hood wants to put it in charge of Mississippi. Their platform would cost us jobs, cost you money, do harm to our culture, and undermine our values.”

Following the event, local media asked questions regarding Y’all Politics article written by investigative journalist Jay Hughes that addresses the $100,000 of taxpayer money used to fund an office in Hood’s hometown of Houston, Mississippi.  

Hood initially said he had not seen the story, but then told Y’all Politics reporter Courtney Carter that she “was not press” and he sought questions from more “legitimate media.” The gaggle of reporters pressed in, however, forcing at least an address of the issue.

You can view the full question and answer session by clicking here.