When both Republican Gov. Tate Reeves and Democratic challenger Brandon Presley posted record fundraising totals last week for the January-April reporting period, some notable names and big donors were featured on their lists.
While both candidates had big checks written for them, Reeves raised his more than $1.7 million — compared to about $1.35 million for Presley — with far more large donors.
According to analysis of their donor lists, 1.4% of Reeves' donations were less than $200, compared to 28.2% for Presley. Both campaigns saw their largest donations coming from Political Action Committees. Reeves received $50,000 from Mississippi Association of Realtors PAC, while Presley got $250,000 from Friends of Mississippi Hospitals PAC.
When counting each individual contribution equally, more than 90% of donations to the Reeves campaign came from Mississippi residents, compared to about 78% for the Presley campaign.
The two campaigns share at least one large donor. Robert H. Dunlap, or R.H. Dunlap, of Batesville, gave $27,000 to Reeves and $10,000 to Presley. Dunlap chairs tire company Dunlap and Kyle Co. Inc.
Both campaigns also received money from some other notable figures.
Real estate developer and former Democratic Mayor of Jackson J. Kane Ditto gave $1,000 to Reeves. Tate Taylor, Los Angeles-based but Jackson-born director of films including "The Help" and "Get On Up," gave Reeves $2,500.
Presley garnered financial support from the state's most recent Democratic governor, Ronnie Musgrove, to the tune of $5,000. Also donating $5,000 to Presley was bestselling author John Grisham, who now lives in Virginia but was once a Democratic member of the Mississippi House of Representatives.
Different industries seem to be backing each candidate in the race.
Reeves' donors included numerous bankers, including Hanco*ck Whitney CEO John Hairston of Gulfport, and First National Bankers Bank Chairman Joseph F. Quinlan Jr. of Miramar Beach, Florida. Each gave Reeves $10,000. Stone Banks Director Ray Dillon of Little Rock, Arkansas, gave Reeves $5,000.
Presley, who received five times more money from the hospitals PAC than from any other donation, also had support from a number of individual health care professionals. Presley's largest individual donor was an investor from Ridgeland, James Barksdale, who gave $50,000. Presley also had significant support from at least one environmental group, receiving a $45,000 donation from MS Sierra Club PAC.
Both candidates found financial support from a number of attorneys and in one case a former attorney.
Wilford Albert Payne III of Hattiesburg gave Reeves $25,000, his largest donation from a lawyer.
Presley, who received two $15,000 donations from Mississippi attorneys, also got $10,000 from Richard "Dickie" Scruggs of Oxford. Scruggs was once one of the most well-known legal figures in the state, after representing shipyard workers in asbestos lawsuits, the state in lawsuits against Big Tobacco and homeowners following Hurricane Katrina. He was later disbarred after being indicted and ultimately pleading guilty to bribery charges. He is now a philanthropist. His son, David Zachary Scruggs, also gave $5,000 to Presley.
Reeves and Presley also received donations from other candidates' campaigns.
None of the donations Reeves got from other campaigns exceeded $5,000, but they included some prominent figures in state politics, including $250 from Friends of Dean Kirby, the campaign committee for the president pro tempore of the Mississippi Senate. According to its filing, Kirby's committee donated to a number of Republican officials, including many of his fellow senators.
Presley received money from some official campaign committees for out-of-state candidates who are no longer in office and not currently seeking office. The campaign committee of Roger Bedford, the former minority leader of the Alabama Senate who was defeated by a Republican in 2014, gave Presley $10,000. Presley also got $5,000 from the campaign committee of former U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-Louisiana, who left office in 2021.
Below is a list of all donors to the Reeves and Presley campaigns that gave $5,000 or more:
Tate Reeves
$50,000
- Mississippi Association of Realtors PAC of Flowood
$40,000
- John J. Morgan of Oxford (President of Morgan White Group)
$35,000
- The Clay Firm of Jackson
$27,000
- Robert H. Dunlap of Batesville (Chairman of Dunlap and Kyle Co. Inc.)
$25,000
- Nick Welch of Laurel (Owner of Eastern Energy Services)
- Jourdan Nicaud of Pass Christian (Officer at Nicaud Restaurants Group LLC)
- Corporate Relations Management of Canton
- Gary Chouest of Cut Off, LA (President of Galliano Marine Services LLC)
- Larry Love of Meridian (Owner of Specialty Roll Products Inc.)
- Danny R. Huston of Parker City, IN (President of North American Midway)
- Charles C. Scianna Jr. of Bellville, TX (President of Sim-Tex LLC)
- Paige Carter of Biloxi (Executive at Team Waste LLC)
- Colby Lane of Ridgeland (CEO of Veriforce)
- Michael Crowe of Meridian (Executive at Specialty Roll Products Inc.)
- Francis C. Lee of Flowood (President and CEO at First Tower Corp.)
- Pure Water Ridge LLC of Flowood
- Johnny McRight of Greenville (Owner of McRight Services, LLC)
- KSOLV Inc. of Houston, TX
- Northeast Mississippi Holdings LLC of Booneville
- Art Favre of Baton Rouge, LA (Chairman of Performance Contractors, Inc.)
- Nicholas Services, LLC of Oxford
- Charles R. Stephenson of West Point (Co-Founder, Director of Growth Capital Partners LP)
- Marilyn Avery Forbes of Ridgeland (Homemaker)
- Gregory C. Rader of Columbus (Executive at Rader Enterprises LLC)
- Stephen Neal Forbes of Ridgeland (Executive at Horne)
- Jeremy Felder of Hattiesburg (Vice President at Chancellor Inc.)
- Kent Nicaud of Pass Christian (COO of Gulfport Memorial Hospital)
- Adam Paxton of Tupelo (President of Vogue Home Furnishings, LLC)
- Richard B. Wax of Amory (Owner of The Wax Company)
- Payton L. Lockey of Richland (Vice President of Vacuum Truck Rentals)
- John L. Nau III of Houston, TX (Chairman of Silver Eagle Distributors)
- E. Bruce Martin of Meridian (Owner of Meyer and Rosenbaum)
- Wilford Albert Payne III of Hattiesburg (Attorney at W.A. Payne and Associates)
- Tyler Norman of Meridian (Vice President of Norman Roofing)
$15,000
- American Subcontractors Association of MS PAC of Madison
- Michael William Chancellor of Laurel (Owner of Chancellor Inc.)
- Chris Crowe of Meridian (President of Magnolia Steel Co Inc.)
- G&S Holdings, LLC of Pearl
$12,500
- Terry W. Green of Houston, TX (Owner of Island View Casino Resort)
- William G. Yates Jr. of Philadelphia (CEO of Yates Construction)
- Loss Prevention Services LLC of Natchez
- J. Rick Carter Sr. of Gulfport (Owner of Island View Casino Resort)
$10,000
- Rebecca Combs-Dulaney of Meridian (Vice President for Community Development and Public Relations at Structural Steel Services)
- Prosperity PAC LLC of Brandon
- Southern Administration LLC of Meridian
- John M Hairston of Gulfport (CEO of Hanco*ck Whitney Bank)
- Malcolm Portera of Tuscaloosa, AL (Consultant)
- Minal Patel of Flowood (Self-employed business)
- Melanie K. Mitchell of Meridian (Homemaker)
- Clay E. Holladay of Meridian (Owner of WMLV Radio)
- Nilay Patel of Ridgeland (CEO of Netlink)
- Wild for Mississippi Outdoors PAC of Ridgeland
- Wallace Gentry Long IV of Belden (Furniture Manufacturing at Homestretch)
- Market Max LLC of Tylertown
- Joseph F. Quinlan Jr. of Miramar Beach. FL (Chairman of First National Bankers Bank)
- CBH Properties LLC of Bay Springs
- Jay L. Davidson of Meridian (President of Southern Pipe)
$8,000
- Chris Hughes of Madison (Executive at CHH Enterprises Inc.)
$7,500
- Lesley Davis of Flowood (Executive at Mississippi Center for Public Policy)
$6,000
- Jennifere M. Simmons of Lake (Owner of Simmons Erosion Control Inc.)
$5,000
- Chandresh Patel of Oxford (Real Estate at Charter Road Hospitality)
- Snehal Patel of Port Allen, LA (Investor)
- Wound Management Specialists LLC of Flowood
- Jackso Properties LLC of Louisville
- Chip Reno and Associates LLC of Jackson
- Douglas M. Wright Jr. of Tupelo (CEO of Community Eldercare Services)
- Mississippi AGC-PAC of Jackson
- James Daniel of Corinth (Executive and SMC Recycling)
- Ray Harrigill of Madison (President of Sunray Companies)
- Luke Lenzi of Gulfport (CEO of Tullis Garden Hotel)
- Ray C. Dillon of Little Rock, AR (Director of Stone Bank)
- Johnny L. Crane Jr. of Fulton (President of F.L. Crane and Sons Construction)
- Employees of Vacuum Truck Rentals PAC of Richland
- Mark D. Mavar of Biloxi (President of Biloxi Freezing and Processing, Inc.)
- Parvesh Goel of Madison (Physician)
- Felix's Gulfport, LLC of New Orleans, LA
- Gauri M. Chawla of Greenwood (Homemaker)
- Seeman Composites, LLC of Gulfport
- JKW Revocable Trust of Jackson
- Manesha Sethi of Madison (Physician)
- Spat-tech of Louisiana LLC of Pearl River, LA
- Jayesh Bhakta of Clinton (Finance at Jada Financial)
- Germantown Wine and Spirits of Madison
- Joseph M. Stinson of Tylertown (Lawyer)
- Albert Burton Hawkins Jr. of Grenada (Executive at Hawkins Lumber Co.)
- Amy Arrington of Hattiesburg (Attorney at Hattiesburg Clinic)
- Land Holdings I, LLC of Diberville
- Suresh K Chawla of Greenwood (Investor at Delta Motels)
- Jennifer Kessler of Belden (Teacher at TCS)
- Fortress Consulting, LLC of Yazoo City
- Dolly Marascalco of Grenada (Retired)
- Nancy F. Yates of Philadelphia (Homemaker)
- Monica Sethi Harrigill of Madison (President of Jackie's International)
Brandon Presley
$250,000
- Friends of Mississippi Hospitals PAC of Madison
$50,000
- James L. Barksdale of Ridgeland (Investor)
$45,000
- MS Sierra Club PAC of Jackson
$25,000
- William Harris Jr of Miami Beach, FL (Executive at Evergreen Money Corporation)
- Olan Mills II of Chatanooga, TN (Retired)
- Richard H. Molpus Jr of Jackson (Chairman of Molpus Woodlands Group)
- John N. Palmer of Jackson (Chairman of Gulf South Capital)
$15,000
- Eric Hampton of Tupelo (CEO of Hope Transportation)
- Douglas A. Horne of Knoxville, TN (President of Horne Properties, Inc.)
- Casey Langston Lott of Booneville (Attorney)
- Richard B. Schwartz of Jackson (Attorney at Schwartz & Associates)
$10,000
- R. H. Dunlap of Batesville (Chairman of Dunlap and Kyle Co. Inc.)
- Robert G. McInnis of Clinton (Business Owner of McInnis Holdings LLC)
- NexGen Crane & Rigging LLC of Hamilton
- Roger Bedford Senate Campaign of Tuscaloosa, AL
- Richard F. Scruggs of Oxford (Philanthropy at 2nd Chance MS)
- Sowell Place LLC DBA Movietown of Ridgeland
- Milton O. Sundbeck of West Point (President of Southern Ionics Inc.)
- Emilee Young of Dumas (Nurse Practitioner at Tippah County Hospital)
$7,500
- Joey Dumas of Pensacola, FL (Attorney at Dumas Law Firm, LLC)
- Sarah Faulkner of Lookout Mountain, TN (Homemaker)
- Crymes G. Pittmann of Jackson (Attorney at Pittman, Roberts, & Welsh PLLC)
$7,000
- Lawrence B. Jones of New Orleans, LA (Attorney at Blake Jones Law Firm, LLC)
$6,000
- George B. Ready of Hernando (Attorney)
$5,500
- John Bradley of Oxford (Not Employed)
- Martha R. Morrow of Starkville (Optometrist)
$5,350
- George Schimmel of Jackson (Not Employed)
$5,000
- Allendale Farms, LLC of Shelby
- Alton E. Ashy of Baton Rouge, LA (Government Relations Consultant at Advanced Strategies, Inc.)
- Gary Bailey of Brandon (Architect at Bailey Architect)
- Roy Barnes of Marietta, GA (Attorney at Barnes Law Group
- Carpenter Construction Company of Grenada
- Thomas E. Childs Jr of Fulton (Retired)
- William B. Crowell of Batesville (Not Employed)
- Beverly Dale of Los Altos, CA (Not Employed)
- Garret Gray of Pacific Palisad, CA (Software Executive at CoreLogic)
- John Grisham of North Garden, VA (Writer)
- C. Paige Gutierrez of Biloxi (Not Employed)
- Scott Hempling of Takoma Park, MD (Attorney at J.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)
- Orin Kramer of New York, NY (Not Employed)
- Barbara Marcin of New York, NY (Mediator)
- Marie McKellar of Evanston, IL (Not Employed)
- Charles J. Mikhail of Wiggins (Attorney)
- Ning Mosberger of Boulder, CO (Photographer at ImagesByNing, LLC)
- Ronnie Musgrove of Oxford (Attorney and Former Governor of Mississippi)
- Thomas Neyhart of New Orleans, LA (Management at PosiGen Developer, LLC)
- Kathy Olsen of Nashville, TN (Retired)
- Tim W. Porter of Ridgeland (Attorney at Porter/Malouf)
- Richmond for Congress of New Orleans, LA
- Jim Schott of Jackson (Retired)
- Janet Scott of Flora (Retired)
- David Z. Scruggs of Oxford (Executive Director of 2nd Chance MS)
- Taylor Townsend of Natchitoches, LA (Attorney)
- Dan Webb of Tupelo (Attorney at Webb Sanders & Williams PLLC)
- Julia Williams-Thomas of Ridgeland (Retired)
- Robert Wiygul of Ocean Springs (Attorney at Waltzer Wiygul & Garside)
- Douglas Wright of Tupelo (Healthcare at CES Tech)
