13th & Park

Governor Tate Reeves on the Mississippi Miracle and Elon Musk's $20B Bet | 13th and Park

Governor Tate Reeves of Mississippi joins Adam Goodman and co-host Will Russell on 13th and Park for a wide-ranging conversation on conservative governance, economic development, and what he calls the Mississippi Miracle. The episode covers how Mississippi has transformed its national reputation, drawing billions in private investment and posting some of the most dramatic education gains in the country, all while cutting taxes and paying down debt. Reeves breaks down Mississippi's strategy for becoming what he calls the yes state, a place that starts every conversation with a prospective employer from a position of openness rather than obstruction. He shares how Elon Musk coined the phrase insane execution speed to describe Mississippi's business climate when announcing a $20 billion investment, the largest private sector commitment in state history, and how that competitive advantage translates into a simple but powerful promise: Mississippi can take a company from spending money to making money faster than any other state in America. On education, Reeves recounts the sweeping reforms passed under his tenure as lieutenant governor that launched Mississippi from 49th in the country to 9th in 4th grade reading and from 50th to 16th in math. He connects those classroom gains directly to workforce readiness, explaining how the state's Accelerate Mississippi program puts the private sector in charge of workforce development to align training with the jobs of the next 50 years, not the last 50. The conversation also covers Mississippi's all-of-the-above energy strategy, Reeves's early career as the youngest state treasurer in the country, the leadership lessons he drew from navigating 14 federally declared disasters in his first 14 months as governor, and the personal story of growing up as the son of a small business owner in Florence, Mississippi. Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:19 World Cup and Emma Reeves 1:58 Appalachian Regional Commission 2:41 Conservative Governance and the Mississippi Story 4:10 Tax Cuts and Education Gains 6:39 State Treasurer and Fiscal Reform 9:25 Workforce Development and Skilled Jobs 12:48 The Yes State and Execution Speed 15:18 Energy Policy and Data Centers 17:53 Leading Through Crisis: COVID and Disasters 19:30 Mississippi's Future Vision 20:41 Growing Up in Florence, Mississippi 23:50 Department of Education and Linda McMahon 26:04 Closing Thoughts Follow Us! X: https://x.com/13thandPark IG: https://www.instagram.com/13th_and_park/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/13thandpark TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@13th_and_park Follow Tate Reeves X: https://x.com/tatereeves IG: https://instagram.com/tatereeves Facebook: https://facebook.com/tatereeves Website: https://governorreeves.ms.gov #tatereeves #mississippi #mississippimiracle #conservativegovernance #econommicdevelopment #elonmusk #xai #educationreform #taxcuts #workforcedevelopment #southerneconomy #13thandpark #politicalpodcast #governorlife #deepsoouth #americaneconomy #statepolitics #businessfriendly