Mississippi Today

To win, Brandon Presley must change 2019-like trajectory of his campaign

Published

2 years ago

September 10, 2023

The Democratic gubernatorial campaigns of Brandon Presley in 2023 and Jim Hood in 2019 appear to be on the same trajectory.

Both campaigns were rocked during the dog days of summer with public polling showing their opponent — Republican Tate Reeves in both cases — with sizable leads. That polling in 2019 did not mean the campaign was over for Hood, and it certainly does not mean in 2023 it is over for Presley. According to some numbers, Presley probably has more of an opportunity to expand his support this year than Hood did in 2019. Presley will need to, of course, succeed in that effort.

The recent bad news for Presley comes in the form of a Mississippi Today/Siena College poll. The poll conducted from August 20-28 showed the Republican Reeves with a comfortable 52%-41% lead over the Democratic challenger Presley. The Reeves campaign immediately touted the poll, while the Presley campaign instead released a recent internal poll showing the race tied.

Despite Presley’s own polling, the public polling by Siena College, consistently ranked as one of the nation’s best pollsters, was not good news for the Presley campaign.

For better or worse, in many ways the poll and even Presley’s internal polls indicate that his campaign is roughly in the same position as Hood’s campaign in 2019, when the former attorney general ran his unsuccessful campaign against Reeves for what was then an open governor’s seat.

In July of 2019, an NBC News/Survey Monkey poll showed Reeves with a 9-point lead over Hood, 51% to 42%. And interestingly, after the NBC/Survey Monkey poll released in 2019, the Hood campaign also released their own internal polling — this one showing the Democrat Hood with a slight 1-point lead over Reeves.

Perhaps more important than the 11-point lead Reeves enjoys in this year’s poll is the fact that he is polling over 50%, albeit only slightly. It is generally believed to be a dangerous sign if an incumbent is polling less than 50%.

There are a few polling differences between 2019 and 2023. According to the NBC News/Survey Monkey poll, for instance, voters were lukewarm in 2019 on the issue of accepting federal funds to expand Medicaid to provide health insurance to primarily the working poor. According to the 2019 poll, 35% of respondents said they were more likely to vote for a candidate who supported expanding Medicaid, while 33% of respondents were less likely, and 31% said the issue would make no difference to their vote.

But a commanding 72% majority in the Siena College/Mississippi Today polls this year supports expanding Medicaid in Mississippi as 40 other states have done.

Presley, of course, has made Medicaid expansion a key issue for his campaign, while Reeves is adamantly opposed to Medicaid expansion.

The Siena College poll does provide some other glimmers of hope for Presley. Importantly, according to the poll, more than one third of likely voters — 35% — say they do not know enough about Presley to offer an opinion, while 38% have a favorable opinion and 26% have an unfavorable opinion. Just about everyone knows Reeves, with 46% having a favorable opinion and 49% an unfavorable opinion.

Hood, like Reeves, is a veteran of multiple statewide campaigns. Mississippians, for the most part, knew Hood in 2019 and they certainly know Reeves, who is running his sixth statewide campaign. For most of Reeves’ adult life, he has been a Mississippi politician.

Presley, the Northern District Public Service commissioner, is running his first statewide campaign.

The fact Presley is not well known could be a good thing for him. He has an opportunity over the little less than two months before the Nov. 8 general election to introduce himself to more than one-third of voters and try to convince them he is a better choice than Tate Reeves for Mississippi.

Based on the results of the 2019 election, there is an opportunity for Presley to make that argument. Remember in 2019, Reeves did not win by a landslide. He won by 5%, or about 45,000 votes.

That relatively slim margin is what can provide hope for Brandon Presley even if the polls during the dog days of summer do not.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

10 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

12 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

12 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.