JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Latest on candidates in the 2019 Mississippi governor’s race (all times local):
2 p.m.
Mississippi Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves has filed to run for governor.
The 44-year-old Reeves submitted qualifying papers Thursday at the state Republican headquarters.
The current governor, Republican Phil Bryant, cannot seek a third term.
Republican state Rep. Robert Foster of Hernando announced last month that he will run for governor. Republican Mayor Hal Marx of Petal said months ago that he intended to enter the race, but he said Thursday that he won’t run because his wife has cancer.
Reeves is in the final year of his second term as lieutenant governor after serving two terms as state treasurer.
March 1 is candidates’ qualifying deadline for state offices. Party primaries are in August, and the general election is in November.
12:20 p.m.
A Republican mayor says he will not run for Mississippi governor because his wife has been diagnosed with cancer.
Petal Mayor Hal Marx said months ago that he intended to seek Mississippi’s top political job this year. But in a Facebook post Thursday, he says his wife, Mindy, received the diagnosis shortly after Thanksgiving. He says that after praying and talking with her, he decided to focus on supporting her rather than running for governor.
Marx’s announcement came shortly before Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves of Flowood was scheduled to file qualifying papers to run for governor. The current Republican governor, Phil Bryant, cannot seek a third term.
Republican state Rep. Robert Foster of Hernando announced last month that he’s in the governor’s race.
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9:09 a.m.
Mississippi’s second-term Republican lieutenant governor is on track to enter the race for governor.
Tate Reeves is filing qualifying papers Thursday at the state Republican Party headquarters, ending months of speculation about his plans.
The current Republican governor, Phil Bryant, cannot seek a third term.
Two other Republicans have already announced they will run for the state’s top office. They are Petal Mayor Hal Marx and state Rep. Robert Foster of Hernando.
Democrats who have already announced for governor are fourth-term Attorney General Jim Hood and retired Jackson State University employee Velesha P. Williams.
Reeves would likely enter the race with more money than any candidate. The most recent finance reports, filed nearly a year ago, showed Reeves had $5.4 million to Hood’s $656,400.
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