The Latest: Democrat concedes Mississippi governor’s race

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Latest on the Mississippi election (all times local):

11:05 p.m.

Democrat Jim Hood is conceding the Mississippi governor’s race and thanking people for letting him serve four terms as attorney general.

Hood was defeated Tuesday by Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves in the open race for governor - the most hotly contested governor’s race in the state in more than a decade.

Hood says the “good Lord” has allowed him to serve in office, but “I guess it was not his will that we continue on as governor.”

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Mississippi in recent days to campaign for Reeves. Hood did not invite national Democrats to the state for appearances, but former President Barack Obama recorded a phone message in support of him.

Reeves will succeed Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who is term-limited.

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10:50 p.m.

Republican Gov.-elect Tate Reeves says he wants to be “the governor for all Mississippians.”

Reeves spoke to The Associated Press moments after he was declared winner of the governor’s race Tuesday over Democrat Jim Hood.

The 45-year-old Reeves is completing his second term as lieutenant governor. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both traveled to Mississippi in recent days to campaign for him.

Hood is in his fourth term as attorney general. He was the best-funded Democratic nominee for Mississippi governor since 2003.

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10:50 p.m.

President Donald Trump’s campaign has praised Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves for his victory in the state’s toughest gubernatorial race in more than a decade.

In a statement Tuesday night, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said the Republican Reeves will be a “key ally” as the 2020 presidential race approaches.

Parscale says Trump’s endorsement of Reeves and the president’s recent rally in the state both helped Reeves secure victory over Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood.

Parscale said Reeves would be a “tremendous conservative leader for Mississippians in fighting for freedom and keeping taxes low.”

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10:28 p.m.

Republicans are keeping their hold on the governorship in Mississippi, despite facing the best-funded Democrat in more than a decade.

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves on Tuesday defeated Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood and two candidates who ran low-budget campaigns.

Reeves will succeed Gov. Phil Bryant, who is limited by state law to two terms.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both traveled to Mississippi in recent days to campaign for Reeves, who is completing his second term as lieutenant governor after serving two terms as the elected state treasurer.

Hood is finishing his fourth term as attorney general.

Republicans have been governor in Mississippi for 24 of the last 28 years. The last Democratic governor lost in 2003 as he sought a second term.

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7 p.m.

Polls are closed in Mississippi in the state’s most competitive governor’s race in recent history.

Voters were deciding Tuesday between Democrat Attorney General Jim Hood and Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves.

Those in line as of 7 p.m. CST will be allowed to cast a ballot.

Both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Mississippi in recent days to campaign for Reeves. Former President Barack Obama recorded a phone message urging people to vote for Hood.

Two other lesser-known candidates were also on the ballot. The winner will succeed Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who is limited by state law to two terms.

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11:30 a.m.

Voters casting ballots in Mississippi’s most competitive governor’s race in recent history say that President Donald Trump is playing a role in their decisions.

Voters on Tuesday were deciding between Democrat Attorney General Jim Hood and Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves. The Republican got campaign help in Mississippi from both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

In Picayune, Mississippi, 74-year-old Linda Marcum voted straight down the lines for Democrats. She said Trump drove that vote, calling the president a bully and “an embarrassment.” She said the Trump and Pence visits only made her more eager to get out and vote for Democrats.

At the same precinct, 63-year-old Nancy Daly voted for Reeves and she would have even if Trump and Pence hadn’t visited the state to support the GOP and rail against the House impeachment inquiry.

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12:07 a.m.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is trying to become the second Democratic governor in the Deep South as he faces Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves in the state’s most competitive governor’s race in years.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both traveled to Mississippi to campaign for Reeves in the closing days before Tuesday’s election.

Hood, Reeves and two lesser-known candidates are on the ballot. The winner will succeed Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who is limited by law to two terms.

Democrats see Hood as their strongest nominee in a nearly a generation in a conservative state where Republicans have held the governorship for 24 of the past 28 years.

Louisiana’s Democratic governor is in a Nov. 16 runoff as he seeks a second term.