Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves slammed Morgan Freeman after the actor met with his Democratic rival, Brandon Presley.
The 86-year-old actor was spotted with the governor hopeful and his wife, Katelyn Mabus, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, on October 21. Raised in the state, Morgan built a home on land previously owned by his grandparents near the town of Charleston.
Presley shared a photo of the meeting to X, formerly Twitter, on October 22, where it has received over 75,000 views so far. He captioned it: "Thank you, Morgan Freeman, for hosting Katelyn and I in Clarksdale yesterday afternoon!"
In response, Reeves took to social media to slam Freeman's support of Presley. On October 23, the Republican candidate shared a photo of a trailer emblazoned with a "Governor Tate Reeves" banner, along with the caption: "Some folks fight for endorsements from Hollywood liberals, I prefer endorsements from truck drivers."
The post has so far received 58,000 views, with some X users mocking Reeves for referring to Freeman as a "Hollywood liberal," considering he resides in Mississippi.
"Did you know that Morgan Freeman lives just outside of Clarksdale, #Mississippi?" asked Mathew Helman. "He is your constituent, Tate."
"Morgan Freeman is one of us, governor, or do u not know that," said Oldhippie.
"Pathetic. Attacking one of Mississippi's very own," agreed @crops2coal. "The state deserves so much better than you."
"Where are the truck drivers who endorse you Tate, all I see is an abandoned trailer?" asked Lynda Powell, while ErinK called the politician's post "petty."
User Ashley Pittman shared a Facebook post from Reeves in 2020, in which the governor praised the actor. "Wise words from one of Mississippi's greatsMorgan Freeman," Reeves wrote alongside a clip of the star advising his fellow Mississippians to follow COVID-19 safety precautions.
However, some users threw their support behind Reeves, with Will Baker writing: "My pawpaw was Peterbuilt Patriot. He's gone now, God rest his soul. But this means the world to me Tate. Thank you."
Presley posted to X to defend Morgan on October 24, writing: "Tate Reeves is so silly that he's attacking my endorsement from Morgan Freeman. I've got news for Tate, Morgan would beat him worse than I'm going to in this election, if he was running. Tate doesn't even know Morgan lives in Charleston, MS."
Reeves has been the governor of Mississippi since 2020, but his lead over Presley has been tenuous, despite Mississippi being a historically red state. His management of the Mississippi welfare scandalin which government funds were misusedalong with his handling of a drinking water shortage in Jackson earlier this year have led to a dip in Reeves' popularity.
A recent poll by business intelligence firm Morning Consult found that Reeves has a 48 approval rating, making him the fifth most unpopular governor in the country.
The latest figures by polling analysis website FiveThirtyEight also suggest that the politician's lead over his rival is slipping, with Reeves only one point ahead of Presley as of October 20.