Former Democratic Congressional candidate Young announces campaign for Mississippi Secretary of State

No Republican has qualified as of yet for SOS, including incumbent Secretary Watson. Candidates have until February 1st to file.

On Tuesday, Shuwaski Young, a Democrat, held a press conference at the Mississippi State Capitol to announce he is running for Mississippi Secretary of State.

Young recently ran for Congress in the 2022 midterms, vying for the 3rd Congressional District seat. He was unopposed in the Democratic Party Primary but went on to lose the General Election to Congressman Michael Guest, a Republican, drawing less than 29% of the vote.

After losing the Congressional race, Young called for changes in the Mississippi Democratic Party leadership.

In announcing his run for statewide office on Tuesday, Young said he decided to run now for Secretary of State because Mississippi needs someone who can get results.

“I’m running for statewide office because Mississippi needs a public official that will deliver results and bring us together to rebuild the hope for the future that we all deserve, especially at the ballot box, within our business environment and our public lands,” Young told those gathered at the state Capitol.

He said the moment was particularly special to him because the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office is where he began his career.

“I learned about governance, I learned about the importance of revenue produced through this office for our state, I learned about professional skills, and most importantly I think, I learned how to follow knowing one day I would be ready to lead myself,” Young said.

He said many of the people he worked with at the Secretary of State’s office are still there and said they care deeply about Mississippi and the dealings of the SOS office.

“You see my work at the Secretary of State’s office prepared me for a life of service and provided me with a foundation that I can only be grateful for to this day,” Young said. “My career and experience have taught me that true public servants don’t care if a person is a Democrat or Republican, they care about their communities and they care about this country.”

Young said if elected as Secretary of State, he will produce policies that will work well for all. He stated that Mississippi does not have to be known as a voter suppression state.

“We can and we must change this outlook and our actions and our reputations which also effects our business endeavors,” Young said. “We need early voting in this state. We need online registration in this state. We need more assistance and proper guidance to our circuit clerks to maintain the voter rolls and get an effective website that directs the public where they can get information.”

Young also mentioned the TANF scandal currently under investigation and making its way through the justice system, saying he would open an investigation and “get to the bottom” of what happened to the state’s funds when elected.

The current Secretary of State Michael Watson, a Republican, assumed office in January 2020 after defeating former Public Service Commissioner Sam Britton in the GOP Primary. He then bested Democrat Johnny DuPree, the former mayor of Hattiesburg, in the General Election. Watson, a former state senator, won the 2019 election with just under 59% of the statewide vote.

As of the time of this article, Watson has not qualified to seek re-election. No other Republican has qualified for the seat either. Candidates have until February 1st to file.