Dear Reader,
There couldn’t be a more consequential time in Mississippi politics than right now.
This fall, we’ll choose the next statewide officials who will lead Mississippi into the future. The top of the ticket –– the governor’s race with several formidable candidates in both major parties –– will certainly receive much attention across the state and nation, but several powerful offices and all 174 legislative seats are also up for grabs.
The stakes this year couldn’t be higher. Since Mississippi Today launched more than three years ago, we’ve extensively reported on the problems these leaders must address. Too many of our neighbors are stuck in a generational cycle of poverty, with traditionally marginalized communities suffering most. Our roads and bridges are crumbling and quickly aging, jeopardizing the safety of Mississippians and the state’s economic viability. There is a critical shortage of public school teachers in the Delta, and the state’s public school teachers remain the lowest paid in the nation. More than half of our hospitals are in danger of closing, while Mississippians who need it most struggle to afford basic healthcare.
Despite all the problems, we Mississippians have many reasons to love our home, from our deep culture that has inspired the world to our innate willingness to lend a helping hand to friends or perfect strangers. Every day I travel the state covering these campaigns, I fall more in love with these good Mississippi things. What drives me most, though, is hearing the genuine hope from Mississippians of all backgrounds that we could tackle many of our problems and find even more reasons to love this place.
You can expect me and Mississippi Today’s other political reporters to thoroughly cover the good, the bad and everything in between in 2019. We’ll certainly break news on candidates and campaigns, capturing the most important storylines and holding people accountable across the political spectrum. But most importantly, we’ll introduce the candidates who will make crucial policy decisions to the often forgotten Mississippians who have to live with those very decisions. We’ll be doing this from our newsrooms in central Mississippi and the Delta as well as from the road — throughout Mississippi, in the towns and counties that make up this great state.
It’s not always glamorous. I can’t count the number of times I’ve filed stories from a McDonald’s in rural Mississippi, where the free WiFi and hot coffee save my tail. There are rental car centers and hotel rooms, and there are a ton of last-minute trips –– often the most expensive to book since a campaign can announce on Tuesday that they’ll be across the state on Thursday.
But at the end of the day, we do this work because Mississippians need to know who’s asking to represent them and how their policies would affect their daily lives. I feel strongly that candidates should earn our votes, and I’m proud to play my part in ensuring that they do. We’re already kicking our coverage into high gear for 2019, and I hope you’ll help us do just that by supporting our nonprofit newsroom today.
With thanks,
Adam Ganucheau
Political Reporter
Mississippi Today
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Ridgeland, MS 39157
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