In what may be a surprise move to many, State Senator Chris McDaniel has endorsed Tate Reeves for Governor.
State Senator Chris McDaniel, who has often been at political odds on the conservative spectrum of issues with the establishment, had been sending out smoke signals on Facebook that he might make the endorsement all week. At the formal endorsement Thursday, the state senator said a true conservative was needed for the office of Governor.
“Bill Waller supports raising the gas tax…expanding Medicaid,” said McDaniel. “That’s not how a Republican is supposed to behave.”
McDaniel said he’s not seeking access to power or a job. He’s just trying to do what’s best for Mississippi and hold Republicans accountable to the values they espouse. McDaniel still has popularity among Mississippi conservatives garnering 154,000 votes in the 2018 special US Senate election.
“I’m not going to sit silently by while this party forgets what it stands for,” said McDaniel.
Both Reeves and McDaniel plainly stated that they haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, but that this time, they agree.
“Conservative policy works,” said Reeves. “Mississippi’s economy is in better shape than it’s ever been.”
Reeves said that the Republican Party is at a crossroads, split between those who support President Donald Trump and those who don’t.
“You cannot be for more Obamacare, and raising gas taxes,” said Reeves. “You can’t do those things and be conservative. There’s only one conservative in this race, and that’s Tate Reeves.”
McDaniel’s endorsement comes on the heels of an endorsement by Rep. Robert Foster of Bill Waller. Many believed that Foster’s endorsement appealed to the most conservative voters in the primary. McDaniel’s endorsement of Reeves likely dilutes the effect of that some.
McDaniel will be holding a Facebook live session tonight at 7:00 p.m. where he will likely discuss the endorsement and his reasoning behind it.
https://www.facebook.com/senatormcdaniel/photos/a.688541617876396/2527005984029941/?type=3&theater
Courtney Ingle
