Lt. Governor Reeves, A.G. Jim Hood Draw Contrasts In Neshoba Speeches

PHILADELPHIA, Miss. (AP) – Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves is aggressively defending 2016’s Legislature while tying Attorney General Jim Hood to national Democrats.

Hood, Mississippi’s only statewide elected Democrat, is shrugging off attacks from the Republican. Both men are potential candidates for governor in 2019.

Clouds and rain Wednesday cooled the summer ritual of political speeches at the Neshoba County Fair, but Reeves’ words were heated. The second-term leader of the state Senate says lawmakers were right to cut taxes, realign the state budget in a way that’s caused widespread confusion and pass a now-blocked law to protect religious objections to same-sex marriage.

Hood, though, says lawmakers are wasting time focusing on social issues. He says Mississippi should give fewer tax breaks to businesses and instead try to pay for road and educational improvements.