While likely not as intriguing or competitive as the gubernatorial race between incumbent Republican Tate Reeves and Democratic challenger Brandon Presley, a host of other statewide races will be contested Tuesday.
Here is a look at who is running:
Who is running for lieutenant governor?
Delbert Hosemann
Incumbent Republican Hosemann will run for another term as the state’s No. 2 official, which plays an important role in the state Legislature overseeing the Senate.
In the three and a half sessions that Hosemann has served, a number of important pieces of legislation have passed, including changing the state flag, a record-setting increase to teacher pay and the disbursement of billions of dollars of federal funds through COVID-19 relief bills, much of which went to infrastructure — another category that saw record investment.
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D. Ryan Grover
The lone Democrat to file for the lieutenant governor’s race is D. Ryan Grover, a former candidate for the Oxford Board of Aldermen.
Grover, a graduate of the University of Mississippi, owns a marketing and consulting agency. After working with small businesses, nonprofits and governmental entities for a few years, he said he noticed how under-equipped Mississippians and Mississippi businesses are to be successful. He said the government was wasting money while citizens struggled to make it. With that in mind, Grover is running for lieutenant governor, he said, “to create an efficient state government that is of the people and works for the people.”
Who is running for secretary of state?
Michael Watson
Incumbent Republican Michael Watson is running for another term as secretary of state.
Watson defeated Democratic former Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree to become secretary of state. Prior to running for secretary of state, Watson had been in the state Senate since 2008.
As secretary of state, Watson has prioritized election security and created a program aimed at training Mississippi businesses to spot the signs of human trafficking.
Ty Pinkins
Ty Pinkins, the Democratic challenger for Secretary of State, is a veteran, lawyer and former White House communications aide. As secretary of state, Pinkins has said he would go beyond the basic duties of the office to advocate for a new set of economic policies.
Pinkins became the nominee after Shuwaski Young withdrew from the race, citing medical concerns.
Who is running for attorney general?
Lynn Fitch
Incumbent Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch is seeking reelection for her second term.
In 2019, Fitch became the state’s first Republican attorney general since 1878.
Fitch is a former state treasurer whose office represented the state in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, which saw an end to nationwide protections for abortion access. Shortly following that case, Fitch certified Mississippi’s abortion trigger law, paving the way for the procedure to be banned in the state for almost all cases.
Her office has also signed onto a number of lawsuits filed by other states’ attorneys general that challenge the administration of President Joe Biden.
Greta Martin
Democrat Greta Kemp Martin is a Jackson-based attorney currently serving as litigation director at Disability Rights Mississippi.
Kemp Martin said a panel of federal appeals judges made the correct decision Aug. 4 when they ruled that Mississippi’s ban on voting after conviction for crimes including forgery and bigamy is a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Auditor
Shad White
Republican state Auditor Shad White is seeking his second full term. He was appointed auditor by Gov. Phil Bryant in 2018 and elected for the first time in 2019, facing no opposition.
White’s office was instrumental in uncovering and investigating the largest welfare fraud in state history, which has involved high profile names such as Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre and Bryant.
Larry Bradford
Democrat Larry Bradford is mayor of Anguilla, a town with a population of less than 500.
Who is running for treasurer?
David McRae
Incumbent Republican State Treasurer David McRae is seeking his second term as state treasurer.
As treasurer, McRae helps oversee the state’s investment portfolio. During a June speech at the 2022 Neshoba County Fair, McRae said his office has returned about $100 million into the treasury through its investments, along with about $55 million in unclaimed property being addressed since the beginning of that year.
McRae has advocated for college savings plans, rather than federal intervention, in order to address the rising costs of college attendance.
Addie Green
Democrat Addie Green is a former member of the Bolton Board of Aldermen, who also ran against McRae in 2019, receiving 39.2% of the vote.
Who is running for commissioner of agriculture?
Andy Gipson
Incumbent Republican Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson is seeking a second full term.
Gipson, an attorney and former member of the state House of Representatives, was appointed to the job after former-commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith was appointed to the U.S. Senate. He was reelected in 2019 by a margin of about 18%.
Gipson has been a major proponent of Mississippi products through his “Made in Mississippi” campaign.
Robert Bradford
Robert Bradford, a Democrat, is currently the Director of Natchez-Adams County Homeland Security Program, Floodplain Management Program, Emergency 9-1-1 Coordinator and Emergency Management Agency, according to his website.
Who is running for commissioner of insurance?
Mike Chaney
Republican Mike Chaney is the state’s longest serving statewide official, having first taken office in 2008.
As insurance commissioner, Chaney not only regulates the insurance industry, but is also state fire marshal.
Prior to being elected insurance commissioner, Chaney spent 15 years in the state Legislature.
In the Republican primary, Chaney had received about 80% of the vote, compared to about 20% for challenger Mitch Young.
Bruce Burton
Democrat Bruce Burton is an attorney from Belzoni, and a former candidate for the Court of Appeals in District Four during the 2022 election.
Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or at 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1.
