JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A new Magnolia Tribune/Mason-Dixon Poll shows Gov. Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) enjoying a comfortable lead over Democratic challenger Brandon Presley.

The poll shows Reeves leading Presley by eight points.

“He’s also over that 50% threshold, which is obviously what you’re looking for to determine is this going to be indicative of the outcome of the election or not. Brandon Presley, his challenger, has got some real ground to make up if he hopes to be able to surmount that hill come November 7,” said Russ Latino, founder/CEO of Magnolia Tribune.

Reeves is also enjoying sizeable leads in crucial parts of the state. He’s up 25 points on the coast and 17 points in North Mississippi. Meanwhile, Presley leads in the Delta and the Jackson-metro.

“The governor currently has double digit leads in four of the six regions of the state that we polled. Men overwhelmingly, close to 30% plus, favor Governor Reeves. By the same token, Democrat challenger Brandon Presley is doing a little bit better amongst women,” explained Latino.

The economy ranked as the number one issue among the 625 voters polled and was the most important issue for Republicans. Healthcare ranked second among all voters and first among Democrats.

For Presley, critical carry-over votes from Republicans may not be coming in.

“The problem for Presley really is, where do the votes come from to make up the difference at this point? If you saw a large percentage of undecideds in some of the governor’s base, you might think that you had the ability to track people over. What we’re seeing right now is that the bases are kind of locked in,” said Latino.

The General Election will be on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.