Phil Bryant
Phil Bryant (born December 9, 1954, in Moorhead, Mississippi) was the 64th Governor of Mississippi. He was first elected governor in 2011 and was reelected in 2015. Bryant was ineligible to run for governor in 2019 due to term limits.
Prior to being elected governor of Mississippi, Bryant served as the state's lieutenant governor from 2008 to 2011. In this role, he was also president of the Mississippi State Senate. Bryant has also served as Missippi auditor, having been appointed to the position in November 1996 by former Gov. Kirk Fordice (R). He was elected to a full term in 1999 and again in 2003, when he ran unopposed. Bryant served five years as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives prior to his appointment to the auditor's office. As a state representative, Bryant was the vice chairman of the Insurance Committee and authored the Capital Gains Tax Cut Act of 1992.
Biography
Bryant was born in Moorhead, Mississippi, and was one of three children. His father was a diesel mechanic and his mother stayed at home.
He has worked as an adjunct professor of government at Mississippi College, and is the contributing author of three books: 21st Century Government - Digital Promise, Digital Reality, Best Cases Practices, which discusses the work of other Republican lieutenant governors, and Leadership Secrets of Government Financial Offices. [1]
Education
- B.A. in criminal justice, University of Southern Mississippi
- M.A. in political science, Mississippi College
Political career
Governor of Mississippi (2012-2020)
Bryant was inaugurated for his first term as governor on January 10, 2012. He was inaugurated for his second term on January 12, 2016. At his second inauguration, Bryant stated his support for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Special Needs and Charter Schools legislation, right to work legislation, reduced firearms regulation, and laws restricting abortion. He also stated his desire to see Mississippi become more business-friendly, calling it the start-up state.[2]
Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi (2008-2011)
Before becoming governor, Bryant served one term as Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi. He was elected in 2007 and took office the following January. In Mississippi, the lieutenant governor is also president of the state Senate.
Mississippi State Auditor (1996-2007)
Bryant served as state auditor from 1996 to 2007. He was initially appointed to the position in November 1996 by former Governor Kirk Fordice. He went on to win two full terms in the auditors office, in 1999 and again in 2003, when he ran unopposed.
Mississippi House of Representatives (1990-1995)
Bryant was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1990 to 1995. His record as a state lawmaker included serving as vice chairman of the insurance committee and authoring the Capital Gains Tax Cut Act of 1992.
Presidential preference
2016 presidential endorsement
✓ Bryant endorsed Donald Trump for the Republican primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[3]
- See also: Endorsements for Donald Trump
Bryant had previously endorsed Ted Cruz.[4]
2012
Phil Bryant endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.[5]
Job creation ranking
A June 2013 analysis by The Business Journals ranked 45 governors based on the annual private sector growth rate in all 50 states using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bryant was ranked number 14. The five governors omitted from the analysis all assumed office in 2013.[6][7]
Elections
2015
- See also: Mississippi gubernatorial election, 2015
Eleven state executive offices in Mississippi were up for election in 2015. The general election was held on November 3, 2015, following a primary election on August 4, 2015. Runoffs were scheduled for August 25 in case no candidate received a majority (50 percent plus one) of the popular vote in a given primary race.
Incumbent Bryant defeated Young in the Republican primary. Bryant defeated challengers Robert Gray (D) and Shawn O'Hara (I) in the general election.[8]
| Governor of Mississippi Republican Primary, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Phil Bryant |
91.8% | 254,779 | ||
| Mitch Young | 8.2% | 22,628 | ||
| Total Votes | 277,407 | |||
| Election results via Mississippi Secretary of State. | ||||
| Governor of Mississippi, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Robert Gray | 32.4% | 234,858 | |
| Republican | Phil Bryant Incumbent |
66.2% | 480,399 | |
| Reform | Shawn O'Hara | 1.4% | 9,950 | |
| Total Votes | 725,207 | |||
| Election results via Mississippi Secretary of State | ||||
Polls
Hypothetical general election match-ups
| Mississippi Governor: three-way race | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Phil Bryant* (R) | Valerie Short (D) | Shawn O'Hara (Reform) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| Mason-Dixon Poll (April 21-23, 2015) | 63% | 28% | 3% | 6% | +/-4.0 | 625 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]. | |||||||||||||||||||
Note: An asterisk (*) denotes incumbent status.
Campaign finance
Pre-election report (July 1, 2015 - July 25, 2015)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $191,668.5 and spent a total of $140,202.44 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on July 28, 2015.[9]
| Campaign Contributions and Expenditures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Beginning balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Ending balance |
Phil Bryant |
Governor of Mississippi | $2,758,188.00 | $123,375.00 | $62,955.00 | $2,818,608.00 |
| Mitch Young |
Governor of Mississippi | $- | $0.00 | $65.00 | $40.00 |
Robert Gray |
Governor of Mississippi | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Valerie Short |
Governor of Mississippi | $7,112.26 | $5,750.00 | $8,354.48 | $4,507.78 |
| Vicki Slater |
Governor of Mississippi | $35,667.64 | $62,543.50 | $68,827.96 | $29,123.18 |
Shawn O'Hara |
Governor of Mississippi | $0.00 | $- | $- | $- |
| Grand Total Raised | $191,668.5 | ||||
| Grand Total Spent | $140,202.44 | ||||
Third periodic report (June 1, 2015 - June 30, 2015)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $192,964.35 and spent a total of $174,984.23 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on July 10, 2015.[10]
| Campaign Contributions and Expenditures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Beginning balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Ending balance |
| Phil Bryant |
Governor of Mississippi | $2,721,336.00 | $165,242.00 | $128,391.00 | $2,758,188.00 |
| Mitch Young |
Governor of Mississippi | $- | $0 | $190.00 | $40.00 |
| Robert Gray |
Governor of Mississippi | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Valerie Short |
Governor of Mississippi | $- | $3,870.00 | $5,991.74 | $7,112.26 |
| Vicki Slater |
Governor of Mississippi | $52,226.78 | $23,852.35 | $40,411.49 | $35,667.64 |
| Shawn O'Hara |
Governor of Mississippi | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Grand Total Raised | $192,964.35 | ||||
| Grand Total Spent | $174,984.23 | ||||
Second periodic report (May 1, 2015 - May 31, 2015)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $206,264.36 and spent a total of $147,326.95 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on June 26, 2015.[11]
| Campaign Contributions and Expenditures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Beginning balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Ending balance |
| Phil Bryant |
Governor of Mississippi | $2,649,125.00 | $156,410.00 | $84,198.00 | $2,721,336.00 |
| Mitch Young |
Governor of Mississippi | $100.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $100.00 |
| Robert Gray |
Governor of Mississippi | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Valerie Short |
Governor of Mississippi | $14,928.57 | $5,528.91 | $11,275.61 | $9,250.64 |
| Vicki Slater |
Governor of Mississippi | $62,507.67 | $44,325.45 | $51,853.34 | $52,226.78 |
| Shawn O'Hara |
Governor of Mississippi | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Grand Total Raised | $206,264.36 | ||||
| Grand Total Spent | $147,326.95 | ||||
First periodic report (Jan. 1, 2015 - April 30, 2015)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $620,707.9 and spent a total of $332,714.7 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on May 8, 2015.[12]
| Campaign Contributions and Expenditures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Beginning balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Ending balance |
| Phil Bryant |
Governor of Mississippi | $2,443,915.00 | $485,635.00 | $280,425.00 | $2,649,125.00 |
| Mitch Young |
Governor of Mississippi | $615.07 | $0 | $515.07 | $100.00 |
| Robert Gray |
Governor of Mississippi | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Valerie Short |
Governor of Mississippi | $0 | $30,353.87 | $15,425.30 | $14,928.57 |
| Vicki Slater |
Governor of Mississippi | $0 | $104,419.03 | $36,049.33 | $62,507.67 |
| Shawn O'Hara |
Governor of Mississippi | $0 | $300.00 | $300.00 | $0 |
| Grand Total Raised | $620,707.9 | ||||
| Grand Total Spent | $332,714.7 | ||||
2011
- See also: Mississippi gubernatorial election, 2011
Bryant defeated Democrat Johnny DuPree in the general election on November 8, 2011.
Results
Republican primary
| Gubernatorial Republican Primary election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party |  Phil Bryant
|
59.5% | |
| Republican Party | Dave Dennis | 25.7% | |
| Republican Party | Ron Williams | 8.8% | |
| Republican Party | Hudson Holliday | 4.7% | |
| Republican Party | James Broadwater | 1.2% | |
| Total Votes | 289,788 | ||
General election
| Governor of Mississippi, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Phil Bryant |
61% | 544,851 | |
| Democratic | Johnny DuPree | 39% | 348,617 | |
| Total Votes | 893,468 | |||
| Election results via Mississippi Secretary of State | ||||
Noteworthy events
Firearms regulation
Gov. Bryant was opposed to President Barack Obama's executive orders laying out additional firearms regulations at the time of their signature in January 2013, saying any such order “infringes our constitutional right to keep and bear arms." Bryant asked the Mississippi Legislature to “immediately pass legislation that would make any unconstitutional order by the President illegal to enforce in Mississippi by state or local law enforcement.”[13]
Stance on Syrian refugee resettlement
- Main article: U.S. governors and their responses to Syrian refugees
Following the Paris terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015, in which members of the Islamic State (ISIS) killed at least 129 people and wounded more than 350, reports surfaced showing that one of the terrorists responsible for the attacks in Paris may have come to France posing as a Syrian refugee.[14] Many governors issued statements of support or opposition to President Obama’s plan to allow 10,000 new Syrian refugees into the United States. Bryant had strong opposition to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state of Mississippi. Bryant wrote on Facebook that he was working with the state's homeland security department:
| “ | ...(to) determine the current status of any Syrian refugees that may be brought to our state in the near future. I will do everything humanly possible to stop any plans from the Obama administration to put Syrian refugees in Mississippi. The policy of bringing these individuals into the country is not only misguided, it is extremely dangerous. I'll be notifying President Obama of my decision today to resist this potential action.[15] | ” |
| —Gov. Phil Bryant[16] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
| Phil Bryant | |
| Republican National Convention, 2016 | |
| Status: | Delegate |
| State: | Mississippi |
| Bound to: | Unknown |
| Delegates to the RNC 2016 | |
| Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • Delegate rules by state • State election law and delegates • Delegates by state | |
Bryant was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Mississippi.[17] In Mississippi’s presidential primary election on March 8, 2016, Donald Trump won 25 delegates, and Ted Cruz won 15 delegates. Ballotpedia was not able to identify which candidate Bryant was bound by state party rules to support at the national convention. If you have information on how Mississippi's Republican delegates were allocated, please email [email protected].[18]
Delegate rules
Delegates from Mississippi to the 2016 Republican National Convention were elected at district caucuses and the state convention in May 2016. Mississippi GOP bylaws required candidates for delegate positions to submit a written declaration stating "which candidate that person will be bound to support on the floor of the Republican National Convention." Delegates from Mississippi were bound to the candidate to whom they were allocated unless released by their candidate via public statement or in writing.
Mississippi primary results
| Mississippi Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
| Jeb Bush | 0.4% | 1,697 | 0 | |
| Ben Carson | 1.4% | 5,626 | 0 | |
| Chris Christie | 0.1% | 493 | 0 | |
| Ted Cruz | 36.1% | 150,364 | 15 | |
| Carly Fiorina | 0.1% | 224 | 0 | |
| Lindsey Graham | 0% | 172 | 0 | |
| Mike Huckabee | 0.3% | 1,067 | 0 | |
| John Kasich | 8.8% | 36,795 | 0 | |
| George Pataki | 0% | 135 | 0 | |
| Rand Paul | 0.2% | 643 | 0 | |
| Marco Rubio | 5.3% | 21,885 | 0 | |
| Rick Santorum | 0.1% | 510 | 0 | |
| Donald Trump |
47.2% | 196,659 | 25 | |
| Totals | 416,270 | 40 | ||
| Source: Mississippi Secretary of State and The New York Times | ||||
Delegate allocation
Mississippi had 40 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 12 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's four congressional districts). Mississippi's district-level delegates were allocated on a proportional basis. The first place finisher in a district won two of that district's delegates while the second place finisher received one.[19][20]
Of the remaining 28 delegates, 25 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 15 percent of the statewide primary vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[19][20]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Phil Bryant Mississippi Governor. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Mississippi | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
- Governor of Mississippi
- Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
- Mississippi gubernatorial election, 2015
- Mississippi gubernatorial election, 2011
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Executive actions:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Works by or about:
- Media appearances:
Footnotes
- ↑ LtGovBryant.com, "About Phil," accessed July 20, 2011
- ↑ WAPT News, "Phil Bryant begins 2nd term as Mississippi governor," January 12, 2016
- ↑ Fox19.com, "Gov. Bryant urges Republicans to unite behind Donald Trump," accessed May 9, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant endorses Ted Cruz," March 7, 2016
- ↑ CNN Political Ticker, "Mississippi governor endorses Romney," March 9, 2012
- ↑ The Business Journals, "Governors and jobs: How governors rank for job creation in their states," June 27, 2013
- ↑ The Business Journals, "How state governors rank on their job-growth record," June 27, 2013
- ↑ Associated Press, "Mississippi - Summary Vote Results," August 04, 2015
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Filings," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Filings," accessed July 12, 2015
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Filings," accessed June 26, 2015
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Filings," May 8, 2015
- ↑ Memphis Business Journal, "Mississippi Gov. Bryant wants state to ignore gun-control executive orders," January 17, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Were Syrian refugees involved in the Paris attacks? What we know and don’t know," November 17, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ WFMZ News, "31 states oppose taking Syrian refugees," November 17, 2015
- ↑ Mississippi GOP, "Mississippi Republican Party Has Successful State Convention," May 16, 2016
- ↑ To build our list of the state and territorial delegations to the 2016 Republican National Convention, Ballotpedia relied primarily upon official lists provided by state and territorial Republican parties, email exchanges and phone interviews with state party officials, official lists provided by state governments, and, in some cases, unofficial lists compiled by local media outlets. When possible, we included what type of delegate the delegate is (at-large, district-level, or RNC) and which candidate they were bound by state and national party bylaws to support at the convention. For most delegations, Ballotpedia was able to track down all of this information. For delegations where we were not able to track down this information or were only able to track down partial lists, we included this note. If you have additional information on this state's delegation, please email [email protected].
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "rollcallvote" defined multiple times with different content
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Haley Barbour (R) |
Governor of Mississippi 2012 - 2020 |
Succeeded by Tate Reeves |
| Preceded by ' |
Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi 2008 - 2012 |
Succeeded by Tate Reeves (R) |
| |||||||||||||
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State of Mississippi Jackson (capital) |
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