GOP infighting reaches the ‘Teletubby’ insult stage over early voting bill

Mississippi Republicans are locked in a fierce intra-party battle over an early voting bill that has escalated from policy disagreements to loyalty tests and social media name-calling.

In the week since state Sen. Jeremy England’s in-person early voting bill (SB2654) passed the state Senate with bipartisan support, former state senator Chris McDaniel and Gov. Tate Reeves have unleashed a wave of attacks, branding England a traitor to conservative values.

The bill, which would allow in-person early voting for up to 15 days before an election, has become a flashpoint in the broader fight between traditional conservatives and Trump-aligned Republicans despite receiving support from a majority of Senate GOP members.

McDaniel, an outspoken Trump loyalist who believes the 2020 election was stolen, lashed out at his former colleague on social media, calling England (R-Ocean Springs) a “loser” and “little more than a chubby Teletubby” in a Feb. 12 Facebook post. McDaniel fell out of politics after losing the race for Mississippi lieutenant governor to incumbent Delbert Hosemann in August 2023.

Reeves also took aim at England, claiming in a Feb. 11 post on X that the bill would make elections less secure and easier to cheat. He also labeled England a RINO—short for “Republican in Name Only,” a frequent Trump form of attack.

On Feb. 13, Reeves escalated his attacks, posting a photo of England laughing with Senate Democratic Minority Leader Derrick Simmons, adding: “A picture is worth a thousand words!!” When asked for clarification on how England’s bill would threaten election security, the governor’s office did not respond.

The bill has seemingly widened fractures within the party.

“This is so petty and unbecoming of the Office of Governor,” Sen. Joel Carter (R-Gulfport) wrote in a direct response to Gov. Reeves on X. “This divides us all. Republicans have all Statewide offices and supermajorities in both chambers. The fighting needs to stop.”

“Where is the adult in the room?” He added. Carter voted against the bill.

What’s all the fuss about?

The bill would allow Mississippians to vote in person at their local circuit clerk’s office for 15 days before an election. It would also eliminate the state’s existing 45-day early absentee voting system, which requires voters to meet strict criteria and submit an affidavit with their ballot. The ballot is placed in an envelope and only counted after the polls close.

“This bill helps hard-working Mississippians who are busy with jobs and family obligations,” England said in a Feb. 12 Facebook post defending his bill. “It helps those who work long hours, face long commutes, and juggle after-school events while trying to make it to the polls.”

Voters would still need to be registered and present a valid photo ID to cast their ballots. Instead of using absentee envelopes, ballots would be placed directly into voting machines and tabulated on election night alongside other voters.

England also noted in his post that the bill does not expand mail-in voting, allow ballot harvesting or include drop boxes. “This is in-person voting, just like Election Day. Limited, safe and secure,” he added.

The bill passed with significant Republican support—23 of the Senate’s 35 GOP members joined all 16 Democrats in voting for it. It now heads to the House Apportionment and Elections Committee for consideration.

In a lengthy explanation to supporters, McDaniel gave his reasons for opposing in-person early voting, claiming that extending voting past Election Day would undermine election integrity and open the process to fraud.

“The more time an election is stretched, the greater the opportunity for inconsistencies, misplaced ballots, or procedural mistakes that erode public confidence in the outcome,” McDaniel wrote. “The traditional approach of a single Election Day, with limited exceptions for absentee voting, ensures a more secure, transparent, and fair process that treats all voters equally.”

England’s bill does not, in fact, extend voting past Election Day. McDaniel did not respond to questions from The Mississippi Independent.

A divided GOP

Early voting has become a highly charged issue in Mississippi, one of three states alongside Alabama and New Hampshire that don’t allow the practice, according to National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) data. (England also introduced an early voting bill during the 2024 legislative session, which passed the Senate but died in the House.)

While divisions among Mississippi conservatives are nothing new—past battles have erupted over primary elections, gubernatorial vetoes and income tax policy—England’s bill has seemingly widened the divide between establishment Republicans and the national hard-right MAGA movement.

But choosing the right path is perilous in a place where anyone deviating from the Trump-aligned agenda risks being labeled a RINO or, even worse among Mississippi Republicans, as too friendly with Democrats.

McDaniel and Reeves both contend that Trump wants to eliminate early voting, although his stance is thoroughly muddled. The President has warned against early voting in the past and partly blamed it on his 2020 election loss. But he urged supporters at a Pennsylvania rally in September 2024 to “get your vote in early” before calling the practice “stupid” in the same speech. He later said he would vote early in the 2024 election.

Trump has also called for elections to take place over a single day using paper ballots, despite the fact that Republican voters used early voting in record numbers during the 2024 election.

England has taken the other fork in the road.

“President Donald Trump supports and promotes early voting,” England wrote. “But this is not a partisan issue. We should not be scared of change—especially change designed to protect and ensure your right to vote. That is what I am fighting for.”

Christopher Harress is an award-winning investigative journalist who has spent more than 15 years covering crime, exposing corruption and reporting on environmental injustice in the American South and beyond.

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Image: Screencap of Jeremy England post