Latest news with #AndyGipson
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Harrison: Hyde-Smith hopes ‘26 will be first easy Senate campaign in Mississippi
The recent announcement that state Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson plans to run for governor has fueled speculation about who will be running for what office in a wide open 2027 Mississippi election cycle. Will all or any of the combination of Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, Auditor Shad White, Attorney General Lynn Fitch enter the gubernatorial donnybrook? Who will be the Democratic Party standard bearer, and will Democrats field competitive candidates for any of the other down-ticket statewide offices that could be vacant based on who is running for governor? Perhaps, most importantly, will billionaire businessman Thomas Duff of Hattiesburg enter the gubernatorial race after showing numerous signals that he intends to? But before the 2027 elections roll around there will be another consequential statewide race in Mississippi: for the U.S. Senate in 2026. Incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith will be running in her third U.S. Senate race, and she surely hopes it will be her first easy one. Her first race, a special election in 2018 after longtime Sen. Thad Cochran retired, was the closest non-party primary U.S. Senate race in modern Mississippi history. Hyde-Smith, running then as the interim appointment of former Gov. Phil Bryant, captured 53.6% of the vote compared to 46.4% for Espy in the special election held to fill out Cochran's term. Trent Lott's first race for the U.S. Senate was almost as close in 1988, when he won 53.9% to 46.1% against 4th District U.S. Rep. Wayne Dowdy. And in a 2008 special election, Republican Roger Wicker, appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour to fill a vacancy left when Lott retired, garnered 55% to 45% by former Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove. But after those relatively close elections, both Lott in 1994 and Wicker in 2012 had easier second elections. Lott captured 69% of the vote against former state Sen. Ken Harper of Vicksburg. Wicker, on the other hand, had a little tougher race against Albert Gore, winning 57% to 40.6%. Gore was little known and underfunded, but was in many ways an attractive candidate with a noteworthy resume. Interestingly, Gore, like Wicker, was a Pontotoc County native. In Hyde-Smith's second race, she again faced Espy in a rare Mississippi campaign when the Democrat raised more money than the Republican. It is practically unheard of in the South — and assuredly in Mississippi — for a Democrat to raise more campaign funds than an incumbent Republican senator. Espy did. Still, Hyde-Smith, who remains Mississippi's only woman elected to a federal office, won 54.1% to 44.1%, but the campaign was far from easy for her. The trend for decades has been that once a U.S. Senate seat is won in Mississippi, the incumbent holds the post for a long time with minimal opposition. Hyde-Smith is still looking for that minimal opposition race. Will 2026 be when Hyde-Smith finally has an easy path to victory like other incumbent Mississippi senators normally have in their reelection efforts? Perhaps hoping to ensure that easier path, President Donald Trump already has endorsed Hyde-Smith for her 2026 campaign. But Trump also endorsed her in 2018 and 2020. Those endorsements did not result in easy campaigns for Hyde-Smith. In both of those campaigns, Hyde-Smith underperformed Trump's Mississippi results. Democrats Ty Pinkins and Albert Littell, both of whom have military backgrounds, already have announced their candidacy for 2026. Speculation is that District Attorney Scott Colom of Columbus also will challenge Hyde-Smith. And on the Republican side, author Sarah Adlakha, a Gulf Coast resident who works in health care, also has announced her campaign. Whether other candidates emerge remains to be seen. And whether Hyde-Smith can experience a less stressful 2026 also remains to be seen. So far the campaigns have not been as easy for her as for other incumbent U.S. senators from Mississippi. This column was produced by Mississippi Today, a nonprofit news organization that covers state government, public policy, politics and culture. Bobby Harrison is the editor of Mississippi Today Ideas.
Associated Press
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Mississippi's agriculture and commerce commissioner announces run for governor in 2027
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi's Republican agriculture and commerce commissioner is announcing a run for governor in 2027. In announcing his candidacy, Andy Gipson said he will fight for conservative principles, and that he has 'always been in the fight with President Donald J. Trump.' He described himself as a 'proven fiscal conservative' and vowed to fight for Mississippi farmers, ranchers, loggers and landowners 'against radical left-wing regulations.' Gipson is an attorney and Baptist pastor. He was a state representative when then-Gov. Phil Bryant appointed him to be the state's agriculture commissioner in 2018.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Commissioner Andy Gipson announces run for governor
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson (R-Miss.) announced he will run for governor. In a post on his Facebook page, Gipson said, 'Mississippi knows Andy Gipson won't back down from our conservative principles, because when it comes to getting things done, Andy Gipson is Mississippi's proven conservative leader.' EPA aims to boost collaboration with Mississippi farmers While he touted accomplishments in the post, Gipson's campaign will focus on farmers' rights, Second Amendment rights and standing against tax increases. 'As we look to the future there's no doubt Andy Gipson is Mississippi's Proven Conservative Leader, and Mississippi's best choice for Governor in 2027. You are invited to join us in this exciting fight for the conservative cause and the Future of Mississippi!' the post stated. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Commissioner unveils 2025 Mississippi State Fair plans
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson (R-Miss.) announced new details ahead of the 2025 Mississippi State Fair. Gipson addressed the entertainers, events and a ticket special for this year's fair. The Mississippi State Fair will take place October 2-13, 2025, at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds. Tickets go on sale June 5 at Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mississippi joins other states in banning lab-grown meat products
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Lab-grown meat will be prohibited in Mississippi when a bill becomes law this summer. Mississippi is the latest state to ban anyone from making or selling any food products produced from cultured animal cells. Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson released a statement regarding the passage House Bill 1006. I want to express my sincere appreciation to the Mississippi Legislature for enacting House Bill 1006 that prohibits cell-cultured food products in Mississippi. The State of Mississippi joins other states that have taken similar action. So-called 'lab grown meat' products have begun to creep into markets globally and even nationally, presenting a serious concern to consumers and to our agricultural producers. Mississippi consumers deserve to know the beef, poultry and pork purchased and served to their families is real farm-raised meat, not something cultivated in a petri-dish. Unlike the radical globalists pushing artificial man-made 'foods,' I stand with Mississippians who support our farmers and farm-raised meat. We at the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce look forward to enforcing this new law. Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson (R-Miss.) One Mississippi shopper was curious about how much meat will cost when the law goes into effect. 'My concern would be what happens as far as supply and demand. Does this cause the price of meat to go up, because there's less meat available? Because before we were eating a lot of lab-produced meat? That would be my concern to kind of see how this affects it,' said JT Sanders, a shopper. Gov. Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) approved House Bill 1006 without his signature, because it unanimously passed the House and the Senate. The law will go into effect on July 1. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
