The SPLC Action Fund’s Affiliate New Southern Majority IE PAC Announces Initial Investment in Mississippi’s 2023 Election Cycle

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Amid a competitive race for governor of Mississippi, the SPLC Action Fund’s New Southern Majority federal independent expenditure (IE) PAC announced today plans to spend an initial $250,000 to ensure new state leadership that will fairly and equally represent all Mississippians.

The investment by New Southern Majority IE PAC comes on the heels of a legislative session that targeted Black and Brown communities within the state and years of rampant corruption by the current governor and his administration.

“The Reeves administration has been a nightmare, especially for the state’s Black and Brown communities, and this level of investment signals a commitment to ensuring accountability at the ballot box and shifting power to communities of color,” said Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the SPLC Action Fund, New Southern Majority’s affiliate 501(c)(4) organization. The 2023 election cycle spending will include television and digital ads, direct mail, and telephone and text campaigns that will begin in the late spring and run through Election Day.

“This is only the beginning,” Huang added. “Over the coming years, we anticipate significant investment by New Southern Majority to grow the political power of Black and Brown communities and to ensure all voters know which candidates are serving the public good and fighting for equity and justice across the Deep South.”

Launched in 2022, New Southern Majority IE PAC invested nearly $500,000 in the previous election cycle and helped to turn the tide in two Cobb County, Georgia elections and a Mississippi judicial race. The Super PAC was created to help recruit, support, and drive greater diversity among political candidates running for local offices throughout the South. New Southern Majority is currently ​working in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana to prioritize local elected positions related to law enforcement, education and elections administration and to support candidates of color.

In February, the New Southern Majority released a poll showing a majority of Mississippi voters are unhappy with the governor’s tenure, believe the state is on the wrong track, and are disappointed with his role in state corruption, including the recent $77 million TANF scandal scandals. The poll, conducted by Tulchin Research, also shows Democratic candidate Brandon Presley taking a four-point lead over Reeves in a head-to-head matchup.

“The efforts to silence Black and Brown voices do not stop at state lines. This is why we are committed to fighting these mounting efforts in the Deep South, and in doing so, across the country," said former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL), who serves on the board of the New Southern Majority IE PAC. “Our polling, and that of others, show that Southerners are ready for a change. Conservatives do not have a monopoly on state-wide office in the South anymore. Progressives can win here, even in Mississippi, but only if we are not afraid to invest in hard work.”