The 2023 Mississippi lieutenant gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2023, to elect the lieutenant governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann won re-election to a second term in office, significantly outperforming Republican Governor Tate Reeves in the concurrent gubernatorial election.
Hosemann drew a primary challenge from state senator Chris McDaniel, who is best known for nearly unseating U.S. Senator Thad Cochran in his 2014 primary. McDaniel accused Hosemann of being a "liberal" and criticized him for allowing Democrats to chair committees in the state senate, labeling him "Delbert 'the Democrat' Hosemann." In response, Hosemann defended his conservative credentials and called McDaniel "the least effective politician in the state with the largest ego." Marketing executive Ryan Grover was the only Democrat who filed to run.
Governor Tate Reeves declined to endorse in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor, however, he did not keep his frustrations with incumbent Lieutenant Governor Hosemann a secret, implying to reporters that there is only one "conservative candidate running" for the position. This led to Mississippi Republican Party chairman Frank Bordeaux having to get involved behind the scenes to quell tensions between Hosemann and McDaniel.
In campaign ads, speeches, interviews, and social media posts, McDaniel tied Hosemann to the South Jackson Women's Clinic, in attempts to attack Hosemann's record on the issue of abortion. According to The Associated Press, the physician who runs the clinic, however, didn't start performing abortions until after Hosemann provided legal services to the clinic. In response, Hosemann called McDaniel a "pathological liar" and accused him of defamation.
On August 2, Hosemann accused McDaniel of not living in the district where he votes, saying that "it appears doubtful that he lived in his district, which means he voted illegally." McDaniel claimed that the allegations are "just [Hosemann] being desperate."
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Hosemann won three of four congressional districts.
Partisan clients<br />
Official campaign websites