Role: Governor of Mississippi (since January 2020)
Category: State Governors / Republican Governors

Summary

Tate Reeves is the Governor of Mississippi. He signed the Build-Up Mississippi Act in March 2025, which phases out the individual income tax — cutting the rate to 3% by 2030 with future annual decreases until it reaches zero. The legislation follows a supply-side economic model that critics argue will primarily benefit higher-income Mississippians while potentially reducing funding for education and state services in one of the nation’s poorest states. Reeves has been a consistent Trump ally and has aligned Mississippi with federal immigration enforcement priorities.

Background

Born: June 5, 1974, Florence, Mississippi
Education: Millsaps College (B.A., Economics)
Career:

• Mississippi State Treasurer (2004–2012)
• Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi (2012–2020)
• Governor of Mississippi (January 2020–present)

Elections: Won 2019 gubernatorial primary and general election; re-elected 2023.

Trump Alignment

Reeves has been a consistent Trump ally throughout both terms. Mississippi has aligned with Trump administration priorities on immigration enforcement, regulatory rollback, and social conservatism.

Immigration Enforcement

Mississippi has cooperated with federal immigration enforcement priorities under the Trump administration. Reeves has supported state-level enforcement coordination with ICE.

Key Policy Actions

Build-Up Mississippi Act (signed March 27, 2025): Phases out Mississippi’s individual income tax — cutting the rate to 3% by 2030 with annual subsequent decreases until the rate reaches zero and the tax is eliminated entirely. The bill also decreases the sales tax on groceries from 7%. Mississippi is already one of the poorest states in the nation; critics argue eliminating income tax will disproportionately harm public services.

Near-total abortion ban: Mississippi enacted and Reeves has maintained a near-total abortion ban following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision.

Social conservatism: Mississippi under Reeves has been among the most conservative states on LGBTQ+ rights, education content, and religious freedom legislation.

Redistricting

Mississippi’s congressional maps were not among those being redrawn in the 2025-2026 mid-decade redistricting campaign.

For Trump Supporters: Questions Worth Considering

Reeves signed the Build-Up Mississippi Act in March 2025, phasing out Mississippi’s individual income tax — reducing it to 3% by 2030 with subsequent annual reductions to zero. Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the nation. It ranks near the bottom nationally on health outcomes, education, infrastructure, and economic mobility. Mississippi has a 37% Black population — the highest of any state. Income taxes are more progressive than sales taxes: they fall more heavily on higher earners. Eliminating income tax and reducing it to zero means the state’s revenue will come increasingly from sales taxes, which fall proportionately more heavily on lower-income residents.

Here’s a question worth sitting with: Reeves eliminated the income tax in Mississippi — a state with one of the nation’s highest poverty rates, worst public health outcomes, and lowest per-pupil education spending. Supply-side economics predicts that eliminating income tax will attract business investment and grow the economy, eventually benefiting everyone. Mississippi has been governed by Republicans implementing conservative economic policies for over a decade. If supply-side tax policy delivers the promised growth — Mississippi should be seeing measurable improvements in poverty, health outcomes, and economic mobility. If you believe the theory — what measurable improvements would you expect to see in Mississippi’s economy over the next 5-10 years? And if those improvements don’t materialize, what would that tell you about the theory?

A second question: Mississippi has the nation’s highest Black population percentage of any state — 37%. It also has a near-total abortion ban, significant restrictions on LGBTQ+ rights, and a governor who has aligned fully with the Trump-era Republican agenda. Mississippi’s Black residents did not, on the whole, vote for this policy agenda. They are governed by it nonetheless — because Mississippi’s white majority votes overwhelmingly Republican. If you believe that government should represent the interests of all of its citizens — not just the majority — what mechanisms exist in Mississippi for its Black minority to influence state policy? And what does the answer tell you about majority rule versus minority representation in a democracy?

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Sources

• Thomson Reuters/Checkpoint (income tax): https://tax.thomsonreuters.com/news/mississippi-governor-signs-legislation-phasing-out-individual-income-tax/
• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tate_Reeves