General Jim Hood, in the November general election. Republicans won all eight statewide offices in 2019, a first in Mississippi history. The election was Mississippi's first competitive election for governor since 2003. Reeves received 459,396 votes to Hood's 414,368. He took office on January 14, 2020. Political positions Contraception In May 2022, Reeves repeatedly refused to deny that he would ban birth control in Mississippi when questioned by anchor Jake Tapper. In particular, he refused to rule out banning IUDs, a form of birth control used by 1 in 7 women. COVID-19 Amid the acceleration of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reeves was accused of undermining efforts to contain the spread of the virus. In early 2020, he closed schools, declared a state of emergency, and told people to trust in the "power of prayer", but did little to combat COVID-19 transmission. In March 2020, Reeves issued an order deeming most public places to be "essential services." His order prompted substantial criticism, largely because it clashed with previously issued local orders and caused confusion as to whether the order overrode local leaders' decisions to order the closures of businesses and other public places. Leaders of many of Mississippi's largest cities and counties criticized Reeves's order. The mayor of Tupelo said that Reeves had engaged in an "abdication of leadership." Days later, Reeves issued an amended order, clarifying that his previous order was not intended to interfere with local governments' decisions. Reeves implemented a "stay-at-home" order in April 2020, but allowed some retail businesses to reopen shortly thereafter. In early May 2020, Mississippi had its largest spike of coronavirus deaths and cases up to that point. It had another sharp uptick in COVID-19 cases and deaths in November 2020. In December 2020, although Reeves urged the public to avoid large gatherings to prevent the further spread of the virus, his office invited legislators and other officials to at least three holiday parties at the Governor's Mansion. Except for August 4 through September 30, 2020, Reeves did not issue a statewide mask mandate in the state, setting only county-by-county mandates in locations with rapid increases in infections. Of the state's 82 counties, 16 were under a mask mandate in November 2020, when the mandates expired. Effective April 30, 2021, Reeves ended COVID-19 restrictions (with the exception of the school mask mandate) through May 31, 2021. For the 2021–22 school year, he did not reinstate