What to look out for when Mississippi candidates submit next campaign finance forms Friday

Candidates for state office in Mississippi will submit their second financial filing of the year Friday evening, showing donations their campaigns received for the month of May.

The previous report for governor and lieutenant governor candidates was not without controversy, and featured some prominent names, from bestselling authors and film directors to well-connected politicos.

When the next campaign filings are posted on the Secretary of State website, here are some names to look out for, based on what was in the previous filing earlier this year:

Friends of Mississippi Hospitals PAC

Friends of Mississippi Hospitals, a Political Action Committee associated with the Mississippi Hospital Association, was the largest single donor in the last filing, and could possibly take that crown again this time.

The MHA PAC gave $250,000 to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley, a decision which was followed by a number of MHA members pulling out of the organization. The member hospitals that left were some of the largest in the state. They cited a lack of faith in leadership, but none directly referenced the donation.

In addition to possible further donations to Presley, observers should look to the PAC's possible donations to Republican candidates. MHA Director Tim Moore has said that the PAC gave $100,000 to Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, but that contribution was not on Hosemann's January-April filing. If the donation has been received, it should appear on this latest filing.

The PAC has also given to a number of down-ballot candidates.

Reeves appointments

In the previous filing, Gov. Tate Reeves received a number of donations from individuals he has appointed to various state agencies, boards and commissions.

Francis "Franc" Lee was appointed by Reeves to chair the state Gaming Commission in 2021. Lee, president and CEO of consumer financial services company First Tower, LLC, was one of Reeves' largest donors in the January-April filing, giving the governor's campaign $25,000. Since his appointment, Lee has given Reeves $55,000. Lee was confirmed unanimously by the Mississippi Senate.

Reeves reappointed businessman Johnny McRight to the state community college board in 2021. McRight gave Reeves $25,000 in the January-April period, after giving $50,000 in the four years leading up to his appointment. McRight was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2022.

Gregg Rader, an engineer and business executive, was appointed by Reeves to the state Institutions of Higher Learning board in 2021. Rader gave Reeves $25,000 in the January-April filing, after giving $30,000 in 2022. Rader was unanimously approved by the Senate in 2022.

Reeves appointed Gulfport Memorial Hospital CEO Kent Nicaud to the Gaming Commission earlier this year. Nicaud also gave the governor $25,000. Nicaud was confirmed unanimously by the Senate. That stood in contrast to his predecessor, the late Al Hopkins, who had to overcome opposition from some senators during his last reappointment.

Gerard Gibert, a SuperTalk Mississippi radio host and former technology solutions executive, was appointed by Reeves to the Mississippi Lottery Corporation Board in 2019. Gibert gave Reeves $500 in the January-April filing, and has given $8,000 since his appointment. Gibert received one no-vote in the Senate, from Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory.

When Reeves created the Restart Mississippi taskforce in 2020 to advise the state on how to bring businesses back from the COVID-19 pandemic, he appointed Joe Sanderson, a previous donor, to lead it. Also appointed to the committee was Monica Harrigill. Harrigill gave Reeves $5,000 in the January-April period.

PAC and corporate donations

Presley has proposed a ban on direct campaign contributions from corporations and a limit on those from PACs, yet his campaign is currently accepting both forms of donations. In a news conference last month, Presley said "the rules of the road are what the rules of the road are today. They're wrong and they should be fixed."

In addition to the $250,000 from the MHA PAC during the January-April filing, Presley also received $45,000 from MS Sierra Club PAC, $10,000 from NexGen Crane & Rigging LLC, $10,000 from Sowell Place LLC DBA Movietown, $5,000 from Allendale Farms LLC and $5,000 from Carpenter Construction Company.

Reeves also received significant funding from corporations and PACs, though he has not called for the types of restrictions on those donors that Presley has.

Prominent Mississippians

There were a number of prominent Mississippians whose names popped up in the January-April filing.

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.

In the lieutenant governor's race, Hosemann received a $5,000 donation from former Republican Gov. Haley Barbour and his wife. His opponent in the Republican primary, state Sen. Chris McDaniel, received a $25 donation from Shane Quick, who was also a candidate that filed to challenge Hosemann in the Republican primary before dropping out of the race on Thursday.

Other significant names may find their way onto the May reports.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: PAC donations, money from appointments and more in MS finance filings