Joel Carter shakes hands with Donald Trump (Photo from Joel Carter's Facebook video)
- Current two-term Secretary of State Watson has not publicly stated his intentions but is rumored to be considering a run for higher office.
State Senator Joel Carter, a Republican who has represented Senate District 49 since 2018, has been making the rounds, openly saying he intends to seek the office of Mississippi Secretary of State in 2027.
On Wednesday, Carter shared a video on Facebook of former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee for a third consecutive cycle, offering his endorsement of Carter’s candidacy.
“Good luck. Good luck. That’s a good state for me, isn’t it?” Trump asked Carter, before saying, “You have my endorsement? You better have. I wish you well.”
Carter responds by saying, “Absolutely. I’ll go ahead and put it out there.”
Current Secretary of State Michael Watson, also a Republican, easily won re-election to a second term in 2023. Speculation has been high that Watson is likely to seek higher office come 2027, possibly running for Lieutenant Governor or Governor. However, Watson has not publicly stated his intentions.
Senator Carter was elected to the Legislature in a 2017, winning a special election to replace Sean Tindell who resigned after being appointed to serve on the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
Carter, a real estate developer, serves on eight Senate committees and is Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee. His other committee assignments are Corrections, Finance, Highways and Transportation, Investigate State Offices, Labor, Ports and Marine Resources and Tourism.
Frank Corder
