Campaign finance reports show the race is on for Mississippi’s highest offices in 2027

• State Auditor Shad White’s nearly $3 million war chest is outpacing all other state officials as of the latest reporting.

Annual campaign finance reports for calendar year 2024 were due from Mississippi officials on January 31, 2025. The reports provide insight into how well current officeholders are positioned ahead of the 2027 election cycle, as jockeying has already begun for the state’s highest offices.

Governor Tate Reeves (R) and Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R) are term limited, meaning the top two seats in Mississippi state government will be up for grabs in two years.

Reeves built a large campaign war chest during this time in state government, having served two terms each as State Treasurer and Lt. Governor before winning the Governor’s office for another two terms. At one point prior to the 2023 General Election, Reeves reported just under $10 million. Now, his combined total between his accounts is just over $2 million cash on hand.

Hosemann, who previously served three terms as Secretary of State, is openly considering a bid for Governor after serving two terms as Lt. Governor. His current cash on hand shows $1.6 million, down from just under $4 million during the 2023 cycle. Hosemann did raise the most of other state officials in 2024, bringing in over $1.5 million.

But Hosemann isn’t alone in those aspirations, as both State Auditor Shad White (R) and Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R) have also been mentioned as possible gubernatorial contenders.

For his part, White has been out front with his intentions, actively questioning the motives of both Hosemann and Fitch on social media as it relates to various policy matters as he seeks to distinguish himself from the pack. Fitch has yet to make as many waves.

Currently, White’s reported $3 million war chest is outpacing Hosemann’s by nearly double while topping Fitch by $400,000.

Secretary of State Michael Watson (R) is all but running for a higher office, having reportedly told at least two Republican state Senators he would not be running for a third term. The revelation prompted them to announce their candidacy of the soon-to-be open seat.

The most obvious next step for Watson, a former Coast state Senator, would be to seek the post of Lt. Governor, though he has not made his intentions known publicly. His latest cash on hand total stands at $1.5 million, an amount that will no doubt give potential challengers pause.

Notably, the two announced candidates for Secretary of State in 2027 – State Senators Joel Carter and Jeff Tate – reported decent cash on hand in their legislative campaign finance reports, with Carter showing $347,000 cash on hand to Tate‘s $155,000.

READ MORE: Tate joins Carter in race for Mississippi Secretary of State in 2027

By the Numbers

Below is a listing of the campaign finance reports from state officeholders as reported for the January 31, 2025, reporting period. Amounts are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Some reports, however, are not yet showing on the Secretary of State website. As they are become available, this article will be updated.

Governor Tate Reeves (R)

• Contributions: $294,000
• Disbursements: $232,000
• Cash on Hand: $2.078 million
• Note: These are combined totals from “Tate for Governor” and “J. Tate Reeves”

Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R)

• Contributions: $1.545 million
• Disbursements: $211,000
• Cash on Hand: $1.582 million

Secretary of State Michael Watson (R)

• Contributions: $651,000
• Disbursements: $212,000
• Cash on Hand: $1.531 million

Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R)

• Contributions: $1.289 million
• Disbursements: $540,000
• Cash on Hand: $2.553 million

State Auditor Shad White (R)

• Contributions: $1.165 million
• Disbursements: $174,000
• Cash on Hand: $2.942 million

State Treasurer David McRae (R)

• Contributions: $
• Disbursements: $
• Cash on Hand: $

Commissioner of Insurance Mike Chaney (R)

• Contributions: $21,000
• Disbursements: $74,000
• Cash on Hand: $195,000

Commissioner of Agriculture & Commerce Andy Gipson (R)

• Contributions: $133,000
• Disbursements: $113,000
• Cash on Hand: $238,000

Transportation Commissioners

• Northern – John Caldwell (R)
  • Contributions: $24,000
  • Disbursements: $28,000
  • Cash on Hand: $111,000

• Central – Willie Simmons (D)
  • Contributions: $
  • Disbursements: $
  • Cash on Hand: $

• Southern – Charles Busby (R)
  • Contributions: $
  • Disbursements: $
  • Cash on Hand: $

Public Service Commissioners

• Northern – Chris Brown (R)
  • Contributions: $4,000
  • Disbursements: $37,000
  • Cash on Hand: $87,000

• Central – DeKeither Stamps (D)
  • Contributions: $
  • Disbursements: $
  • Cash on Hand: $

• Southern – Wayne Carr (R)
  • Contributions: $12,000
  • Disbursements: $27,000
  • Cash on Hand: $2,000