Governor Reeves: Voters rejected Medicaid expansion in Tuesday’s GOP Senate primaries

• The governor went on to assert that much of the narrative around Medicaid expansion is being pushed by Democrats, likeminded media and the Mississippi Hospital Association.

Governor Tate Reeves (R) took to social media early Tuesday morning to opine on the results of Tuesday’s special legislative elections.

From his perspective, the Mississippi Governor said, “Obamacare Medicaid Expansion was on the ballot yesterday in Republican primaries across Mississippi.”

Reeves has remained staunchly opposed to any effort to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. He said the results in the three Republican Primaries for the Senate showed voters backed conservative policies and not Medicaid expansion.

“Senator McLendon and Senator Johnson both voted NO on Obamacare expansion and they both won their primaries yesterday. Congratulations to both of them,” the governor wrote. “Senator Parker and Senator Robinson both voted to expand Obamacare in MS and neither of them will be returning to the Senate. (Note: I do believe Senator Robinson would have voted to sustain a veto but she never got that chance.)”

Senator Michael McLendon (R) held off a robust challenge in DeSoto County where city officials and other prominent area leaders sought to unseat him in the District 1 race claiming he was ineffective at the state Capitol.

Senator Chris Johnson (R) was also able to come out victorious in the District 44 primary despite a healthy dose of mudslinging and personal attacks in the Pine Belt.

As for Reeves’ reference to Senator David Parker (R), the three-term DeSoto County senator was redistricted and chose not to seek re-election in the new District 2, leaving it as an open seat this cycle.

In District 42, Senator Robin Robinson (R) faced strong headwinds in the Jones County area as supporters of former Senator Chris McDaniel, the seat’s previous occupant, combed through Robinson’s voting record, painting her as an establishment candidate. She was the only incumbent to lose her re-election bid on Tuesday.

Votes in the Senate to pursue Medicaid expansion occurred during the 2024 legislative session. The House backed full expansion while the Senate sought to add work requirements prior to implementation of expansion. With no agreement between the chambers, the legislation was never sent to the governor’s desk. Had it been, Reeves was expected to veto the bill.

As the governor noted, those votes happened before President Donald Trump’s recent “One Big, Beautiful Bill” passed. That law passed by Congress seeks to “crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse.” Reeves believes Trump’s opposition to “Obamacare Medicaid expansion” is clear and makes the prospect of expansion “even more expensive and more risky” for Mississippi taxpayers now.

Governor Reeves went on to assert that much of the narrative around Medicaid expansion is being pushed by Democrats, likeminded media and the Mississippi Hospital Association.

“The Mississippi Democratic Party activists at [Mississippi] Today – and their fundraising team at the MS Hospital Association – have for years lied and released fake polls claiming our primary voters are ok with it,” Reeves wrote. “But the way legislators vote matters and – as always – our voters are smarter than the politicians give them credit for.”

Governor Reeves said with the 2027 statewide and legislative elections now on voters’ minds, he said he is going to stick with President Trump “and – for the 17th year in a row – be against” Medicaid expansion.