Robert Gray (Mississippi)

Robert Gray (born c. 1968) is an American politician and truck driver from the state of Mississippi who ran for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Mississippi in the 2015 election. A Jackson native, Gray is an unmarried long-distance truck driver and former firefighter. He defeated lawyer Vicki Slater and Dr. Valerie Short in the Democratic gubernatorial primary on August 4, 2015. Gray received 50.9% of the vote while Slater received 30.3% and Short 18.8%. Gray did not vote in the primaries as he was out of town for work and later expressed surprise at his win.^[1][2][3][4] He operates a truck company known as Fancy Horse Transportation, Inc.

Early life

Gray was born in about 1968 in Jackson, Mississippi and currently lives in Terry, Mississippi. His mother is Judie Gray Livingston, and he has one sister, Angela.^[5] Gray attended Provine High School in Jackson.^[6] He worked as a truck driver and was formerly a firefighter.^[7]

Gubernatorial race

Gray says he spent between $50 and $60 on his campaign and has no formal ties to Mississippi politics or politicians. Gray's bid for governor was incited by his belief that incumbent governor Phil Bryant is failing to help improve life in a state where poverty is a persistent problem.^[8] The election was held on November 3, 2015.^[9] He did not receive any campaign donations during his Democratic primary campaign.^[10] Explanations for Gray's surprise win ranged from his name appearing first on the ballot or that he was the only man on the ballot running against two women.^[11] Gray was featured on the Today Show on September 11, 2015.^[12] He has said his campaign will be focused on education, healthcare, and infrastructure.^[13] Gray lost the election to incumbent Phil Bryant, with 32.1% of the vote compared to Bryant's 66.6%.

On Bryant, Gray said, "He’s conservative when it comes to supporting our state but he can spend millions of dollars in a campaign. If he had done his job, he wouldn’t need to spend so much money."^[14] In October 2015 he stated that "[he had] God on his side" and pointed to the biblical story of David and Goliath in order to illustrate his campaign.^[15]

Polling

In a poll administered in October 2015, Gray received 28% of poll votes compared to Phil Bryant's 66% and Reform candidate Shawn O'Hara's 1%. 5% of those polled were undecided.^[16]

Electoral history

Gray won 79 out of Mississippi's 82 counties in the 2015 Democratic primary.^[17] Gray's campaign manager was his sister Angela.^[18]

References

External links

Campaign website

• Robert Gray for Governor