Reed discusses the evolution of the Republican Party in the South, focusing specifically on his home state of Mississippi. Reed focuses specifically here on contrasting national and state politics, suggesting that Mississippians became Republicans in terms of their choices for national politics more than they did in terms of state politics. Additionally, Reed addresses such issues as the role of personality versus philosophy, and he discusses perceptions of candidates such as Richard Nixon, George Wallace, and Herbert Humphrey. By the time of the interview, in the mid-1970s, Reed argued that being a Republican had become more acceptable in the South as that party became increasingly dominant.