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- Here are a few names that have emerged as possible candidates to replace outgoing Ag Commissioner Andy Gipson who is running for governor.
Andy Gipson is running for governor in 2027, leaving an open seat race for Mississippi’s next Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce.
The state agriculture commissioner oversees the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce. State law provides that the commissioner is to have “a competent knowledge of agriculture; mining, manufacturing, statistics and general industries and he or she must be an experienced and practical agriculturist.” The law also charges the commissioner with numerous duties in the areas of development and marketing of agriculture and commerce, regulation of related industries and investigation of agricultural crimes.
Gipson has held the Agriculture Commissioner seat since 2018, having first been appointed to the post by former Governor Phil Bryant. Gipson then ran for a full four-year term in 2019, winning the election with over 58% of the vote. He won re-election four years later by a similar margin. The Republican did not face a primary election challenger in either statewide race.
Who will replace Gipson at the helm of the department tasked with regulating and promoting one of the biggest industries in the state is currently anyone’s guess. No clear favorite has emerged as of yet. However, some names are starting to bubble up as possible contenders to be the next Commissioner of Agriculture.
Here is a look at who is said to be considering a run for Agriculture Commissioner next year.
Dane Maxwell
Maxwell is currently the Mississippi State Director for Rural Development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was appointed to the position by President Donald Trump in May 2025.
Prior to that, Maxwell, a Republican, served four years as the Southern District Public Service Commissioner. He lost his re-election bid in 2023 to Wayne Carr, drawing 5% less than the challenger in the GOP Primary Election. He is a former mayor of Pascagoula, a Marine Corps veteran, retired law enforcement officer, and businessman.
An endorsement from President Trump would not be out of the question for Maxwell should he decide to run for Agriculture Commissioner. His now serving in the administration as well as having been the Mississippi State Director for the Trump presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020 would likely draw interest from the White House.
Vince Mangold
Mangold, a Republican, is currently in his third term serving as the State Representative for House District 53 in the Mississippi Legislature. He is the chairman of the House Ethics Committee and vice chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.
Mangold defeated longtime Democrat State Representative Bobby Moak to win the House seat in 2015. He then went on to re-election four years later, pulling in over 65% of the vote in the general election. He ran unopposed in 2023.
Mangold is affiliated with the Mississippi Cattleman’s Association, Mississippi Association of Independent Schools, and the Referees Association.
Neil Whaley
Whaley is currently serving as State Senator representing Senate District 10 in the Mississippi Legislature. He is the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and vice chairman of the Senate Local and Private Committee.
Whaley, a Republican cattleman and businessman, was first elected to the Senate in 2017, winning a special election to fill the seat left vacant by Bill Stone, a Democrat, who resigned.
He went on to win re-election in 2019 and 2023, running unopposed in the GOP primaries and winning the general elections with over 57% of the vote in both years.
Kyle Cockrell
Cockrell is actively campaigning for the Agriculture Commissioner seat, rolling out campaign logos and yard signs earlier this year.
He is the owner of Cockrell’s Farmers Market, a third-generation family-owned farmer’s market in central Mississippi.
Cockrell, a past chairman of the Smith County Republican Party, ran unsuccessfully for the Mississippi House of Representatives in 2023. He only pulled in 28% of the vote in the Republican Primary Election against State Rep. Mark Tullos, who has served in the House representing District 79 since 2016.
Rickey Cole
Cole is a former chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, where he remains active on the political scene.
He ran unsuccessfully for Agriculture Commissioner in 2019 against Gipson, pulling in just over 41% of the vote.
Since 1944, the Cole family has raised crops and livestock and sold their produce as retailers and wholesalers in Mississippi.
Robert Bradford
Bradford, a U.S. Army veteran, is a fourth-generation farmer in the Mississippi Delta. He is the emergency management director for Adams County.
Bradford was the Democratic Party’s nominee for Agriculture Commissioner in 2023. He advanced to the general election that year after besting two challengers in the primary. Bradford drew just over 42% of the vote in the loss to Gipson.
Frank Corder
