Tate Reeves facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tate Reeves
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Reeves in 2022
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| 65th Governor of Mississippi | |
| Assumed office January 14, 2020 |
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| Lieutenant | Delbert Hosemann |
| Preceded by | Phil Bryant |
| 32nd Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi | |
| In office January 10, 2012 – January 14, 2020 |
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| Governor | Phil Bryant |
| Preceded by | Phil Bryant |
| Succeeded by | Delbert Hosemann |
| 53rd Treasurer of Mississippi | |
| In office January 13, 2004 – January 10, 2012 |
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| Governor | Haley Barbour |
| Preceded by | Peyton Prospere |
| Succeeded by | Lynn Fitch |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jonathan Tate Reeves
June 5, 1974 Florence, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Elee Williams
(m. 2001) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Governor's Mansion |
| Education | Millsaps College (BA) |
Jonathan Tate Reeves (born June 5, 1974) is a politician from the United States. He has been the 65th Governor of Mississippi since 2020. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Before becoming governor, Reeves served as the 32nd lieutenant governor of Mississippi from 2012 to 2020. He was also the 53rd Treasurer of Mississippi from 2004 to 2012.
Reeves was born in Florence, Mississippi. He graduated from Florence High School in 1992. He then went to Millsaps College, graduating in 1996. After studying economics, he became a Chartered Financial Analyst. He worked in finance before entering politics.
Reeves first ran for Mississippi state treasurer in 2003. He won that election and was reelected in 2007. In 2012, he became lieutenant governor. He held this role until he was sworn in as governor.
In 2019, Reeves was chosen as his party's candidate for governor. He won the election, becoming the governor of Mississippi. He was reelected in 2023.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Reeves grew up in Rankin County, Mississippi. He is the oldest son of Terry Reeves and Dianne Peeples. His father started a heating and air conditioning company in 1975. This company grew into a very successful business.
Reeves went to Florence High School in Florence. After high school, he attended Millsaps College in Jackson. He earned a degree in economics there. He also played college basketball for two years, but stopped due to a shoulder injury.
At Millsaps College, Reeves was part of a fraternity called Kappa Alpha Order. This fraternity had been involved in some controversial activities in the past.
Early Career in Finance
After finishing college in 1996, Reeves became a Chartered Financial Analyst. He first worked at Park South Corporation. This company later joined with AmSouth. In 2000, Reeves moved to Trustmark National Bank. He worked there as a financial portfolio manager. He left this job in 2003 to run for state treasurer.
Mississippi State Treasurer (2004–2012)
Reeves decided to run for Mississippi state treasurer in the 2003 election. The current treasurer, Marshall G. Bennett, was retiring, so the position was open. In the Republican primary election, Reeves competed against two other candidates. He received the most votes, but not a majority. This led to a runoff election against Wayne Burkes. Reeves won the runoff.
In the main election, Reeves ran against Gary Anderson, a Democrat. Reeves won the election, becoming the first Republican to be Mississippi's state treasurer. He was also the youngest person to be elected to a statewide office in Mississippi's modern history. His father helped his campaign by donating a lot of money.
In 2007, Reeves ran for reelection and won with about 60% of the votes.
Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi (2012–2020)
In 2011, Reeves decided to run for lieutenant governor. He won the Republican primary election in August. In the general election in November, he was elected lieutenant governor. He took over from Phil Bryant, who became governor. Reeves ran without a Democratic opponent and won with over 80% of the votes.
As lieutenant governor, Reeves was the president of the state Senate. He used his position to stop certain bills from being voted on. For example, he prevented a vote on expanding Medicaid expansion and a bill to increase the gas tax. The gas tax increase was meant to pay for road and bridge repairs.
Reeves was reelected as lieutenant governor on November 3, 2015. He won against three other candidates.
Governor of Mississippi (2020–Present)
Elections
2019 Election
Reeves ran for governor of Mississippi in the 2019 election. He was expected to win his party's nomination. He was well-known from his 16 years in statewide office. He also had a lot more money for his campaign than his opponents. His main rivals for the Republican nomination were Bill Waller Jr. and Robert Foster.
During the primary race, some former Republican party leaders supported Waller. Others, including outgoing governor Phil Bryant, supported Reeves. Reeves was strongly against expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. He called it "Obamacare expansion." Waller and Foster, however, supported a version of Medicaid expansion. This was to help Mississippi's rural hospitals, many of which were struggling. Reeves also opposed increasing the gas tax for road repairs, while Waller supported it. Reeves said that "radical liberals" were attacking "Mississippi's culture and Mississippi's values."
In the Republican primary, Reeves and Waller finished first and second. Since no one won a majority, they had a runoff election. Reeves won the nomination in the runoff.
During his 2019 campaign, Reeves highlighted the support of Donald Trump. Trump had won Mississippi in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. Reeves promised to work with President Trump if elected. Trump, his vice president Mike Pence, and his son Donald Trump Jr. all campaigned for Reeves in Mississippi. At a rally in Tupelo, Trump spoke in favor of Reeves.
Reeves won the general election in November against the Democratic candidate, state Attorney General Jim Hood. In 2019, Republicans won all eight statewide offices in Mississippi for the first time ever. This election was Mississippi's first close governor's race since 2003. Reeves took office on January 14, 2020.
2023 Election
On November 7, 2023, Reeves won reelection for his second term as governor. He defeated the Democratic candidate, Brandon Presley, in the 2023 Mississippi gubernatorial election.
Confederate Flag Change
In June 2020, during the George Floyd protests, there was a big discussion about changing the flag of Mississippi. The flag had symbols related to the Confederacy. Reeves first said the flag should only be changed if voters approved it. However, he later changed his mind. He said he would sign a bill to retire the flag if the legislature passed it without a public vote.
On June 28, 2020, the legislature voted to change the flag. Reeves signed the law two days later. This removed the last state flag in the U.S. that displayed a Confederate symbol.
COVID-19 Pandemic Response
During the COVID-19 pandemic, some people criticized Reeves's actions. In early 2020, he closed schools and declared a state of emergency. He also told people to trust in "the power of prayer." However, he did not do much to stop the virus from spreading.
In March 2020, Reeves ordered most public places to be "essential services." This order caused confusion because it seemed to go against local rules. Many city and county leaders criticized his order. The mayor of Tupelo said Reeves had failed to lead. Days later, Reeves changed his order. He clarified that he did not mean to stop local governments from closing businesses.
Reeves issued a "stay-at-home" order in April 2020. But he allowed some stores to reopen soon after. In early May 2020, Mississippi saw its biggest increase in coronavirus deaths and cases. There was another sharp rise in November 2020. In December 2020, Reeves urged people to avoid large gatherings. However, his office invited officials to holiday parties at the Governor's Mansion.
Reeves did not issue a statewide mask mandate, except for a period in late 2020. He only set mask rules for specific counties with many infections. These county mandates ended in November 2020. In April 2021, Reeves ended most COVID-19 rules, except for school mask mandates. For the 2021–2022 school year, he did not bring back mask rules for schools. In July 2021, he called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advice on indoor masks "foolish" and "harmful."
When the COVID-19 vaccine became available, Reeves opposed requiring people to get it. Mississippi had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S. Reeves downplayed this fact. When President Joe Biden required federal workers and large companies to have vaccine rules, Reeves called it "tyranny." Biden responded by saying Reeves's comment was "the worst kind of politics." Biden pointed out that children in Mississippi are required to get many other vaccines. Reeves joined a lawsuit against Biden's plan.
In August 2021, Reeves said that Christians in Mississippi were "less scared" of the virus. He said this was because they believe in eternal life. That month, Mississippi had the highest rate of COVID-19 cases and deaths per person in the country.
During the pandemic, Mississippi had a shortage of hospital workers, especially nurses. Reeves did not call a special meeting of the legislature. This meeting could have used federal COVID-19 relief money to help with the crisis.
Taxation and Budget
As governor, Reeves supported laws to remove the state's personal income tax. In November 2021, a rating agency called Fitch said that his tax plans might not be possible financially.
Political Views
Voting Rules
In November 2020, Reeves said he would not sign any bill that made it easier to vote by mail or to vote early without a reason. Mississippi has some of the strictest laws in the U.S. for voting before Election Day.
Education
Reeves's 2020 budget plan included money for a "Patriotic Education Fund." He said that "young children have suffered from indoctrination in far-left socialist teachings." He also suggested bonuses for teachers in schools that were doing well. However, he did not fully follow his 2019 promise to increase teacher pay every year. He did propose teacher raises in the 2022 budget.
Race Issues
In April 2021, Reeves stated, "There is not systemic racism in America." Earlier that month, he had declared April "Confederate Heritage Month" in Mississippi. He has done this every year he has been governor.
2020 Presidential Election
After Joe Biden won the 2020 election, and Trump did not accept the results, Reeves supported lawsuits. These lawsuits tried to throw out election results in states Biden won, based on false claims of fraud. In March 2021, Reeves said that Biden was the president and was "duly elected." However, he would not say that Biden was "legitimately and lawfully elected" or that the 2020 election was fair.
Personal Life
Reeves is married to Elee Reeves. They have three daughters. Reeves and his family attend Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church.
Images for kids
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Reeves visiting the 172nd Airlift Wing in 2015
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Reeves at a 2019 Trump rally in Tupelo
See also
In Spanish: Tate Reeves para niños
