Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. advanced to an August 27 runoff in the Republican primary for governor of Mississippi.

 

With 97% of precincts reporting, Reeves received 48.9% of the vote (short of the 50% needed to win outright) and Waller received 33.4%. State Rep. Robert Foster finished third with 17.8 percent of the vote.

 

The winner will face Attorney General Jim Hood (D) in the November 5 general election to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Bryant (R).

 

To win election as governor of Mississippi, a candidate must win both a majority of the statewide vote and a majority of state House districts. If no candidate meets both requirements, the state House decides the winner.

 

Elections for all 52 seats in the state Senate and all 122 seats in the state House of Representatives will also take place on November 5.

 

Mississippi is one of 22 Republican state government trifectas, a term that describes when one party controls the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature. It has been a Republican trifecta since 2012.