Tate Reeves facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tate Reeves
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Reeves in 2022
|
|
| 65th Governor of Mississippi | |
| Assumed office January 14, 2020 |
|
| Lieutenant | Delbert Hosemann |
| Preceded by | Phil Bryant |
| 32nd Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi | |
| In office January 10, 2012 – January 14, 2020 |
|
| Governor | Phil Bryant |
| Preceded by | Phil Bryant |
| Succeeded by | Delbert Hosemann |
| 53rd Treasurer of Mississippi | |
| In office January 13, 2004 – January 10, 2012 |
|
| 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 an American politician. 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 and graduated in 1996. After college, he became a financial expert called a Chartered Financial Analyst. He worked in finance before entering politics.
Reeves first ran for Mississippi state treasurer in 2003 and won. He was reelected in 2007. In 2011, he became lieutenant governor. He held this job until he became governor. In 2019, he was chosen as his party's candidate for governor. He won the election and took office in January 2020. He was reelected as governor in 2023.
Contents
Early Life and School
Tate Reeves was born on June 5, 1974. He 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.
Reeves went to Florence High School in Florence. After high school, he studied economics at Millsaps College in Jackson. He played college basketball for two years at Millsaps College.
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 for Governor
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 many years in state government. He also had a lot of money for his campaign. His main opponents for the Republican nomination were Bill Waller Jr. and Robert Foster.
During the primary race, Reeves said he was against expanding Medicaid. He also opposed raising the gas tax to fix roads and bridges. He said that "radical liberals" were attacking Mississippi's values.
In the Republican primary, Reeves and Waller Jr. were the top two candidates. Since no one won more than half the votes, they had a runoff election. Reeves won the runoff and became the Republican candidate for governor.
During his 2019 campaign, Reeves highlighted the support of Donald Trump. Trump and his vice president, Mike Pence, campaigned for Reeves in Mississippi.
Reeves won the general election against the Democratic candidate, Jim Hood. Republicans won all eight statewide offices in Mississippi in 2019. This was the first time that had happened. 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.
Changes to the State Flag
In June 2020, there was a discussion about changing the flag of Mississippi. The old flag had symbols related to the Confederacy. Reeves first said that voters should decide on the flag change. But later, he changed his mind. He said he would sign a bill if the state legislature voted to change the flag without a public vote. On June 28, 2020, the legislature voted to change the flag. Reeves signed the bill two days later. This removed the last state flag in the U.S. that showed a Confederate symbol.
Prisons and Justice
As governor, Reeves faced problems with the state's prison system. This included violence and poor conditions at the Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman). After several prisoners died, Reeves said the conditions were "terrible." He ordered part of the prison to be closed and other changes to be made. Some prisoners were moved to a different prison.
Reeves signed a bill in 2021 that made it easier for some prisoners to be considered for parole. Parole means they can be released from prison early under supervision.
State Taxes
As governor, Reeves has supported plans to get rid of the state's personal income tax.
Concerns about Welfare Funds
Reeves faced some questions about how state welfare money was used. There were concerns about contracts given to his friends and about money used for projects like a volleyball stadium.
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. The Reeves family attends Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church.
Images for kids
-
Reeves in 2022
-
Reeves visiting the 172nd Airlift Wing in 2015
-
Reeves at a 2019 Trump rally in Tupelo
-
Governor Tate Reeves gives a speech at his 2024 inauguration.
See also
In Spanish: Tate Reeves para niños
