The Other Side: Mississippi Today's Political Podcast

Secretary of State Michael Watson joins Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender and Taylor Vance to discuss his ideas for campaign finance reform.

U.S. District Judge Mike Mills joins Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau and Bobby Harrison to discuss his storied career in politics and the state and federal judiciary. He discusses his time in the Legislature, on the Mississippi Supreme Court, and in the federal court.

Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau, Bobby Harrison, and Geoff Pender break down the results of last week's Republican and Democratic primary elections. Among races discussed: the contentious GOP primary for lieutenant governor, key legislative races, and the GOP primary for governor.

Mississippi Today political reporters Bobby Harrison, Geoff Pender and Taylor Vance break down Tuesday's election where party nominees will be selected for the Nov. 7 general election. Candidates from the county level to the state level will be on the ballot Tuesday. 

Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender, Bobby Harrison and Taylor Vance break down the candidates' strategy, presentation of their speeches and the crowd's reaction to those speeches at the just-completed the Neshoba Couty Fair. 

Neshoba County native Dick Molpus, who served three terms as Secretary of State, discusses the importance of the Neshoba County Fair on Mississippi politics. Molpus, who has attended 70 fairs, shares some of his favorite memories from over the years.

Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau, Devna Bose, and Taylor Vance discuss the state's worsening hospital crisis and how it is affecting the 2023 governor's election. Democrat Brandon Presley is making the issue his top focus, while incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has all but avoided it.

Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau, Bobby Harrison, and Taylor Vance break down leadership drama inside the Mississippi Democratic Party, which recently booted its top leader and replaced him in a major election year.

Greta Kemp Martin, a Democrat challenging incumbent Attorney General Lynn Fitch this year, joins Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau to discuss her campaign and the ideas she has for the job.

Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau, Bobby Harrison, and Geoff Pender discuss the specific issues and ideas that Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and challenger Chris McDaniel are focusing on in their Republican primary campaign.

Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau and Taylor Vance dive deep on the results of a new Mississippi Today/Siena College poll of likely Republican voters. Among the poll's big takeaways: Substantial GOP voter support for Democrat Brandon Presley in the governor's race, a comfortable lead for Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, and surprising results on abortion.

Mississippi Today political reporters Geoff Pender, Taylor Vance and Bobby Harrison talk about Gov. Tate Reeves' decision to hold onto campaign funds from people who have pleaded guilty in connection with welfare scandal and key federal. They also discuss state court rulings that could impact Mississippi elections later this year. 

Former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, the last Democrat in the state to serve in the Governor's Mansion, joins Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau, Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender to discuss the wild statewide election year. He shares his views on Brandon Presley, the Democrat vying for the office this year, and what it might take for Presley to defeat Republican Gov. Tate Reeves.

Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau, Geoff Pender, Bobby Harrison and Taylor Vance break down frequently asked questions about the 2023 lieutenant governor's race. The Republican primary features incumbent Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and state Sen. Chris McDaniel.

Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender, Bobby Harrison, and Adam Ganucheau break down Mississippi's very loose campaign finance laws. They discuss some recent issues with the laws and nearly complete lack of enforcement of them, why that should matter to voters, and what could be done to improve them.

Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau, Geoff Pender and new political reporter Taylor Vance discuss the early days of the 2023 governor's race. They also break down a key campaign finance reporting period that will set the tone for how campaigns try to reach voters.

Mississippi Today reporter Anna Wolfe won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting for her remarkable investigation  "The Backchannel,"  which uncovered the depth of the sprawling $77 million welfare scandal, the largest embezzlement of federal funds in the state's history. Anna joins Mississippi Today editor-in-chief Adam Ganucheau to discuss the win, her career, and how she sees her role in M...

Mississippi Today's political team is off this week, resting up for a big coverage plan for the 2023 statewide and legislative elections. Join us next week for the best political interviews and analysis in Mississippi.

Mississippi Today's political team breaks down statewide 2023 primary and general elections of interest, including the increasingly bitter GOP primary for lieutenant governor and the general election between Republican Tate Reeves and Democrat Brandon Presley. 

Mississippi Today political reporter Bobby Harrison talks with state Rep. Chris Bell, D-Jackson, about his new role as Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus chair. Bell is taking over for Sen. Angela Turner Ford, D-West Point, who held the post for four years. He talks about the role of the 53-member Black Caucus in the legislative process and the plans for the group during this year's state electi...

Mississippi Today political reporters Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender talk with veteran Rep. Tommy Reynolds, D-Water Valley, about the rules changes that occurred in the 1980s making the Mississippi House more democratic. As a young member of the House, Reynolds played a key role in writing those rules.

Mississippi Today's political team breaks down three major issues from the 2023 legislative session that will become inescapable issues during the 2023 election cycle.

Mississippi Today's political team breaks down how a small handful of lawmakers spend a few days behind closed doors and determine how to spend more than $6 billion in taxpayer funds. All lawmakers are then asked to vote for budget bills without having any real idea of how much they're voting to spend stacks up with previous years.

Mississippi Today's political team shares their biggest surprises of the 2023 legislative session, breaking down major issues that lawmakers are debating (or not debating) in the final days of the session.

Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, outlines the Senate plan to tweak the Mississippi Adequate Education Program funding formula for K-12 education, then fully fund it for the first time in more than a decade. The issue is now before the House, where the GOP leadership, along with the governor, has voiced skepticism about the plan. But DeBar said he's talked to rank-and-file Hou...