Nettleton: Today, the Daily Journal highlighted recent polling that shows “Presley rising steadily from 42% of voters in December to 44% in April and 46% in August, with Reeves declining from 49% to 47% to 46%.” 

“Brandon Presley isn't taking any voter for granted," said Michael Beyer, Communications Director for Brandon Presley. “Our campaign is going across the state talking to voters and building a coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are ready for a change in state government."

Read more below:

Daily Journal: Governor’s race now tied, Presley internal poll says 
Gideon Hess
August 30, 2023

• Internal August polling for the Brandon Presley campaign claims the race against incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves tied, according to a memo obtained by the Daily Journal.

• It’s the third of three known polls in the race by Democratic Party-aligned firm Impact Research and the first since Presley began airing TV ads last month. Polling by the firm has shown Presley rising steadily from 42% of voters in December to 44% in April and 46% in August, with Reeves declining from 49% to 47% to 46%. Every other poll released thus far in the race has shown Reeves leading, except for a January poll from a Democratic PAC showing Presley ahead.

• The Presley-linked polling memo claims the Democratic nominee is gaining statewide name recognition as Reeves declines in popularity and asserts Presley can win Nov. 7 if he has “the resources to continue to communicate statewide.”

• According to the memo, 59% of voters recognize Brandon Presley’s name, up from about 25% name recognition when he began the campaign. About 38% of voters have a favorable view of him and 21% a negative view. Name recognition is a major hurdle for Presley’s campaign against Reeves, who has been familiar to voters since his first statewide campaign for treasurer in 2003.

• The August Presley campaign polling memo asserts Reeves’ job rating continues to worsen throughout the campaign, with 54% of voters now holding a negative view including 28% of Republicans and 61% of independents. The memo claims Presley leads among independents 57% to 28%.

• The memo says Presley can win by maintaining his lead among independents, exploiting Reeves' relative unpopularity among Republicans, and increasing Black support from 81% to 90%. High turnout among Black voters can also put him over the top.

• "Brandon isn't taking any voter for granted," campaign spokesperson Michael Beyer said when asked about Presley's need for high Black support. He said the campaign has "invested in a historic turnout operation" for voters of all parties "who are ready for a change in state government."

• The document reviewed by the Daily Journal is the summary memo from the pollster and does not include full cross-tab data breaking down the poll’s methodology and results. It describes a poll done Aug. 6-9 with a 4% margin of error among 600 likely Mississippi voters who supported Trump in 2020 by 16 points and consisted of 54% Republicans, 37% Democrats and 9% independents.

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