Secretary of State Michael Watson, June 2025 (Photo from Watson's Facebook)
- Secretary of State Michael Watson visits with Magnolia Tribune for a wide-ranging interview on his campaign for Lt. Governor. He is currently the only candidate – Republican or Democrat – openly stumping for the office. His statewide name ID and sizeable campaign war chest could be reasons why.
Michael Watson announced his campaign for Lieutenant Governor in April, setting out on an 11-city tour across Mississippi to spread his message.
In an interview with Magnolia Tribune this week, Watson, a two-term Republican Secretary of State who previously served three terms in the Mississippi Senate, said the response so far has been “fantastic.”
“The folks that came out to volunteer and support, the crowds were fantastic. The responses were just solid,” he said. “Just a great response and so it really got us excited about the next few months, getting out on the campaign trail, so everything is good. We’ve been having good visits. We’ve been meeting all of our finance goals with all of our events. Everything’s going in the right direction.”
Watson is currently the only candidate – Republican or Democrat – openly stumping for the office.
Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R), a former Secretary of State himself, is term limited, meaning the 2027 race to replace him will be for an open seat. It is not uncommon for open seat elections to draw multiple candidates, however as of now, Watson appears to be in the driver’s seat in more ways that one.
Watson found early success in the Senate during his first term under then Lt. Governor Phil Bryant (R). His subsequent terms with Tate Reeves (R) as the chamber’s presiding officer were less fruitful, particularly after he helped then fellow state Senator Chris McDaniel (R) run against U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R).
Bryant has endorsed Watson’s campaign for Lt. Governor.
“My last two terms I probably spent more time down the hall in the House than I did before because of some leadership issues, and it is what it is, but that really helped me understand the House process as well,” Watson recalled.
That experience, he says, actually helped him successfully run for Secretary of State and sees it as valuable in this bid for higher office.
“Building those relationships will now come back and hopefully play a big role in helping lead the state and making things happen through the legislative process,” Watson said, noting his time in the Legislature provided valuable insight into the process, how to work with fellow legislators, and how to get legislation passed.
About the Campaign
Watson was first elected to the Mississippi Senate in 2007 representing District 51 in Jackson County. He ran unopposed in his 2011 re-election bid and then cruised to a third term in 2015 with minimal opposition.
In 2019, Watson ran for Secretary of State. He edged out former Southern District Public Service Commissioner Sam Britton by more than five points in the Republican Primary before defeating Democratic nominee Johnny DuPree in the General Election by 17 points. DuPree, a former Mayor of Hattiesburg, is now serving in the Mississippi Senate.
Watson went on to win re-election as Secretary of State in 2023, running unopposed in the Republican Primary and facing a replacement Democratic candidate, Ty Pinkins, in the General Election. Watson won that race by 19 points.
Along the way, Watson has raked in nearly $2.5 million cash on hand in his campaign finance account, according to his end of year report filed in January. That is a significant showing, and one that will give other candidates considering a run for Lt. Governor pause.
When asked about his knack for fundraising, Watson said, “I think it takes the ability to work hard. Are you willing to get out there and meet people?” He views fundraising as a means to build a relationship.
“It’s not just about the dollar to me. It’s about how can I be beneficial to this individual, how can I learn from them, how can I build them into our team so when the comes times and I’ve got an industry-specific issue, I can call them and have them help me think things through,” Watson said. “I don’t know everything, so it’s important to build those networks of support that you know you can call on and learn from.”
He also said being a strong conservative with a track record of doing what he says helps with Mississippi donors and voters.
“You don’t just talk about being conservative,” said Watson. “It’s our track record of being conservative. He’s been a leader. He cares about the state. I think that’s what people are looking for, the adults in the room that understand you got to sit down with people that may not always see eye to eye with you, try to work out issues, try to work out policies that are good for the state.”
Being Conservative
Watson said being a conservative means you start by looking back at the core functions of government.
“That’s kind of where you have to start when it comes to government,” he said. “We want to focus on public safety, roads and bridges, public education. The things that government is supposed to do and should be doing them well.”
As for the areas that are not core functions, Watson said there should be scrutiny on those areas to reduce the burden on taxpayers.
He then says being conservative means you look at morality, “trying to do the right thing.”
“I think you combine those two together, and hopefully that’s the kind of leadership Mississippians deserve and want. I think it is and that’s our goal,” he said.
Why Lt. Governor?
Watson believes his experience running an executive level agency coupled with this time serving in the Legislature makes him uniquely qualified to be Mississippi’s next Lt. Governor.
“I think one of the cool things for me, having been a legislator, if I didn’t have the authority to do it in statute as Secretary of State then I don’t do it as an executive and so as you see that, the application of it, I think it better helps you to understand the need to make sure everything is tightened up in legislation,” he said.
He sees that understanding as important in a Lieutenant Governor, to have both executive and legislative perspective.
Watson also said “the whole relationship piece is really important.”
“Building on relationships with executive agencies, from my time in the Senate to my time at the Secretary of State’s office, the legislative relationships that are still there, all will be very beneficial,” he added. “So I think those are the things that really prepare us to be successful in the Lieutenant Governor’s office.”
Legislative Dynamics
Leadership starts at the top, Watson contends.
There will be a new governor and lieutenant governor, come January 2028. The Speaker, Jason White (R), is likely to remain the same.
“Those are the three folks that should be leading the charge with a unified voice,” Watson said. “There are going to be times we disagree on policy, I get that, but there shouldn’t be character attacks. If we stick to the facts, hopefully we can disagree as adults and move forward together on things we do agree on.”
Watson said he has good relationships “with all the folks who are saying they’re going to run for governor” as well as with Speaker White.
“So, it’s relationship building, it’s trust, it’s being able to agree without being disagreeable,” Watson said of his approach to working with the Speaker and the next governor. “Sometimes it does become personal there, I understand that. But you just got to rise above that, and sometimes it’s easier said than done.”
When it comes to how he would preside over the Senate as Lt. Governor, Watson said it is important to ensure conservatives are leading the chamber’s committees “that really matter, that drive big policy.”
“I know one for instance right now, and there’s a big difference between how I would have handled it and how the [Hosemann] handled it, no offense to him, he’s the lieutenant governor. He gets to decide how he wants to run the Senate. I get that,” Watson said. “But Public Health. That’s got to be a good conservative member of the Legislature, in my opinion, as chairman.”
State Senator Hob Bryan (D) currently chairs the Senate Public Health Committee.
Watson said “the big ones” like the committees on Public Health, Appropriations, Finance, “the ones where really you got to drive good, hard conservative policy, you got to have a good conservative individual in there.”
When it comes to committees like Transportation, Watson said he sees areas “where perhaps you could get a good Democratic colleague that you trust.” He pointed to the work done by Central District Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons (D), who Watson said is “doing a good job as commissioner. I think he did a good job as chairman [when in the Senate].”
“So those core government functions like Transportation where you would think that the Democrats would really want to work across the aisle and come together on a good plan for all of the state, perhaps there’s room there,” Watson said of appointing Democrats to lead Senate committees in a Republican majoritty chamber. “But on the big conservative, moving the needle things, you got to have a good conservative chairman of those committees.”
Hot Topic Issues
Watson addressed a few hot topic issues being bantered about across the state, most of which he will likely be charged with engaging on if elected Lt. Governor. Here are his thoughts on some of those matters.
School Choice
Ultimately, Watson said parents are the ones that should make the decisions on how their children are educated.
“What does that look like? I think that’s the million-dollar question. You have to understand that the Legislature is 174 folks. For me, it’s what’s the most student-friendly position that we can get past,” he said. “I think that also goes to leadership. What kind of teamwork can I build to help them understand how important this issue is for the future of our state.”
He said one of the most important things for him is that there is an understanding that it’s not an us versus them.
“It should be all of us, what’s best for every student,” Watson said. “The vast majority of students will always be in traditional public schools, in my opinion. So how do we make sure that they’re highly functioning and turning out well educated individuals for the future of our state. How do we get superintendents in the room, principals in the room, teachers in the rooms, to talk through what’s best for the children at the end of the day. That’s what I will work to build on.”
Education Funding / Consolidation
Watson recalls “good movement” when he was in the Senate on school district consolidation.
“And let’s be very clear, that’s administrative, that’s not shutting schools down,” he emphasized. “I think there’s still a lot of work that we can do there.”
He said “Mississippi spends a ton of money per child.”
“A lot of times, it’s the structure. It’s what are the opportunities for the children,” Watson explained. “I think there’s still a lot of bloat with administration, especially with the dwindling number of students, that’s an area where we have to take a hard look at. So that does lend itself to administrative consolidation.”
As for community colleges and universities, Watson sees the current funding formula as rewarding some institutions “that maybe aren’t producing, so I think we can take a harder look at that.”
“So consolidation is a big, tough question out there. I do think every topic needs to be on the table. If it’s a hard conversation, let’s have it because at the end of the day it takes hard decisions to do the right thing for the state of Mississippi,” he said.
Workforce Development
Watson praised AccelerateMS executive director Dr. Courtney Taylor, saying she is doing “a phenomenal job.”
He said Taylor is one of those he wants to have in the room when thinking through education next steps and workforce needs.
“What does the workforce need to look like moving forward? I think she’s crushing it,” added Watson. “So, you know, it’s people like that that are in the fight that we need to lean on and lean on heavily to get it right.”
PERS
Watson said the state has a commitment to the public employees in Mississippi through the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), which he intends to honor as Lt. Governor.
“As a lawyer in the state Senate, I understand you got a contract. We need to honor that. And that’s still my position,” he said. “But over time, as I’ve seen as a lawyer, sometimes maybe there’s a better path forward and maybe the retirees come and say, you know what, for the good of the whole, perhaps, maybe there’s something that we could do to make this better for the future of PERS.”
Watson said those conversations are needed. He believes the Legislature has done good work pushing forward with changes to ensure the stability of the system, “trying to make some good changes.” He complimented state Senator Daniel Sparks (R) on the work he has done in recent sessions “weeding through the issues and trying to see what the smart path forward may be.”
He emphasized that PERS “is one of those things where it’ll take a hard conversation, but it’s not something I’m going to shy from because it’s too important to too many people.”
Healthcare
Watson said he wants to bring free market principles back to the healthcare discussion.
“The problem is there’s so much government intervention that it’s really hard to call healthcare a free market,” he said.
He is a “hard no” on Medicaid expansion.
“That’s not the right path. I think that’s a financial crisis in the making. We just can’t afford to do that,” Watson said. “People will say, gosh, you can’t afford not to. I think that’s where you look at the accessibility piece, and as you’ve seen during my time in the Legislature and my time as Secretary of State, the regulatory reforms that we’ve worked on, how do we cut more regulatory burdens to allow more access to not just care, but quality care?”
Watson said people around the state are talking about ways to increase access and improve delivery methods. He notes that conversations on PBM reforms as a good start but also floated the idea that if pharmacists are looking for more opportunities for revenue, “maybe it’s a test to treat situation.” In that scenario, the pharmacists could “swab somebody for the flu or for strep throat or whatever and just give them the basic antibiotic or whatever the treatment is.”
While Watson said “you’re going to have doctors that are mad at that,” not every doctor wants to be in small town Mississippi.
He also mentioned having talks on expanding the scope of practice for nurse practitioners, allowing them more access to practice in different areas of state without being so closely tied to a doctor.
“That’s something that on the doctor’s side, I see some of their concerns, and I’ve heard some of the horror stories. So you have to be careful with that,” Watson said. “But when you talk about rural healthcare, where doctors don’t tend to locate and you have a nurse practitioner. As long as the patient understands that I’m seeing a nurse practitioner, if they want to take that chance on good healthcare, then I’m OK with that.”
Top Priorities
If elected Lt. Governor, Watson said he has three priorities out of the gate.
The first is building good relationships.
“It’s much easier to have hard conversations and work on hard issues when you’ve got a good relationship with the person sitting across the table from you,” he said.
The second priority is getting back to those core functions of government.
“We’ve talked a lot as Republicans about cutting spending and lowering taxes, and quite frankly, I just hadn’t seen them cutting spending as effectively or maybe even as a matter just plain ole fact that I prefer,” Watson said. “I just have to believe if you focus on the core functions of government and get the rest out of the way, you’re going to save money. So making sure the government’s good where it should be and get it out of the way where it shouldn’t be.”
The other priority is reducing the regulatory burden on Mississippians, something he and his team at the Secretary of State’s office has been doing under his “Tackle the Tape” initiative.
Family Support
Watson said one of the hardest parts of politics is seeing the sacrifices his family makes for his ability to serve as an elected state official.
“I don’t think people recognize that enough,” he said.
Watson called his wife, Lauren, “superwoman,” saying she is an incredible mom and partner.
“She’s great to sit down and think through things with. She’s an incredible communicator. She’s really good about tearing issues down and understanding at the base level what do people see here,” he said.
The father of three girls, Watson said his wife and daughters would be on the campaign trail some “but at the end of the day, we’re more focused on being good parents and teaching them, training them up in the way they should go. So we’ll focus on them as parents first and that’s the most important part.”
Future Ambitions?
Being elected Lt. Governor lends itself to speculation on if a future run for Governor would be in the works. Watson said he is not thinking that far ahead.
“I’ve always told folks that if an opportunity exists and I pray about it and I think I can do more good than where I am now then we’ll take a look,” he said. “So, if I get a peace about that in eight years and that opportunity opens, so be it. If I don’t get a peace about it, I’m fine, not being governor.”
Watson said a political title never defines who he is.
“It’s my title as dad, husband, Christian, brother and friend, those are the things that define who I am,” Watson said, adding, “But if the position is there where I can do more good than what I’m doing right now then we’ll take a look at it.”
Qualifying for the 2027 election cycle begins January 2, 2027.
