Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann is considering running for governor in four years, making him the first statewide official to openly express interest in campaigning for the state’s highest office in 2027.
In an interview with Mississippi Today on Monday afternoon, Hosemann said he is currently focused on finishing his second term as lieutenant governor, but he would evaluate over the next four years if he should make a bid for the Governor’s Mansion.
“First of all, I’ve got to do my own job,” Hosemann said. “That’s the main thing. People hired me to work for four years. I think I’ve positively affected the trajectory of this state. And if people think I can continue to do that, then we’ll be glad to see about governor.”
Hosemann, 76, recently won a second term as the state’s lieutenant governor, a position which carries enormous influence over the Capitol’s legislative agenda. The Mississippi Constitution limits lieutenant governors to serve only two terms, so Hosemann cannot seek reelection to his current post.
While Hosemann is now stating his interest in the job publicly, several GOP politicians are almost certain to consider running for the office, too. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves will also be term-limited, so an incumbent would not appear on the ballot in November 2027.
Other Republican statewide officials who have spoken privately with political advisers about a gubernatorial campaign are Auditor Shad White, Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Secretary of State Michael Watson. Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson has also been routinely discussed among Jackson political consultants as a potential gubernatorial candidate.
If multiple GOP statewide officials clamor for the job in 2027, it would set up a crowded Republican primary with the potential to create rancorous debate, openly splinter the majority party and cause state agencies to clash.
Fitch, whose office typically defends state agencies in litigation, announced Friday she would no longer represent White in two defamation lawsuits after determining his upcoming book about the Mississippi’s ongoing welfare scandal would cast her office in a negative light. White, in return, hired in-house counsel to represent him in the lawsuits against him and issued a strongly worded statement about Fitch’s decision.
Watson has also publicly aired his disagreements with Fitch over enforcing campaign finance laws and enforcing the state’s tidelands leasing laws on the Gulf Coast.
Brandon Presley, the Democratic nominee who lost to incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves in November, has previously said he is considering running for governor again in four years.
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