Education
Gray attended Provine High School in Jackson.
Gray attended Provine High School in Jackson.
A Jackson native, Gray is an unmarried long-distance truck driver and former firefighter. He defeated lawyer Vicki Slater and Doctor 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%.
He operates a truck company known as Fancy Horse Transportation, Incorporated.
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. He worked as a truck driver and was formerly a firefighter.
Gray stated he spent between $50 and $60 on his campaign and had no formal ties to Mississippi politics or politicians. Gray"s bid for governor was incited by his belief that incumbent governor Philosophy Bryant was failing to help improve life in a state where poverty is a persistent problem.
He did not receive any campaign donations during his Democratic primary campaign.
Gray was featured on the Today Show on September 11, 2015. He stated his campaign would be focused on education, healthcare, and infrastructure. 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." In October 2015 he stated that " God on his side" and pointed to the biblical story of David and Goliath in order to illustrate his campaign.
The gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2015. Gray lost the election to incumbent Philosophy Bryant, with 32.1% of the vote compared to Bryant"s 66.6%.
Polling
In a poll administered in October 2015, Gray received 28% of poll votes compared to Philosophy Bryant"s 66% and Reform candidate Shawn O"Hara"s 1%. 5% of those polled were undecided.