Mississippi Republican gubernatorial nominee Tate Reeves says his goal is to unite his party and “ensure that Mississippi does not elect a liberal Democrat to the office of governor.”

Reeves is the second-term lieutenant governor. He defeated retired Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Bill Waller Jr. in a primary runoff Tuesday.

Reeves will face Democrat Jim Hood, the state’s fourth-term attorney general, in the Nov. 5 general election.

Reeves says “a lot of good people” voted for Waller and he wants to earn their votes.

Waller said Tuesday that he “ran a campaign we can be proud of.”

Mississippi law limits Republican Gov. Phil Bryant to two terms.