State Auditor Shad White came by the office this past week, one of several media stops he has been making across Mississippi to tout his legislative proposals for the session that starts next month.
The tour seemed to be as much about White maneuvering toward a gubernatorial run in 2027.
Less than a year into Tate Reeves’ second and final term as governor, those who might like to succeed him are starting to test the waters. White said he is definitely considering a run for governor, although he has not made up his mind yet.
Should he run, he gives the impression that he expects Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann to potentially be his most difficult opponent.
It would be an interesting battle between two highly capable Republican officeholders of different generations.
Hosemann would be 80 years old in 2027, nearly old enough to be the young-looking White’s grandfather. White would be 42 at that time.
A centerpiece of White’s legislative agenda is to shift education dollars from administration to teacher compensation. Currently, Mississippi spends about 42% of its total education budget on teacher salaries and benefits, including their pension. He wants to see that raised to 50%, which White’s staff estimates would hike the average teacher compensation package by $13,000 a year.
White says there is plenty of fat in administration that could be cut to make that happen. The recent “Project Momentum” study he commissioned found that Mississippi spends a greater percentage of its K-12 budget on administration than every other state in the South. The only jurisdiction that spends more on administration is Washington, D.C., a place not particularly known for government efficiency.
White is smart — you don’t become a Rhodes Scholar or make it through Harvard Law School without a greater-than-normal allotment of brainpower — and good on his feet. He’s not afraid of a fight, even willing to take on some folks who might have been considered “untouchable,” such as Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.
White’s also sounding a bit restless.
He claims that during his six years as state auditor his office has recovered more misspent or stolen money than in any similar period in state history, but he says a governor can save the taxpayers immeasurably more by implementing changes that an auditor can only recommend.
“We sort of think of ourselves as a flashlight,” he said. “So if your car’s busted, we can pop the hood, and we can shine the flashlight and we can say, ‘Carburetor’s clearly broken.’ But as auditors, we don’t have the power to put our hands into the engine and actually fix it.”
White objects to the suggestion that he should be more patient and get in line behind those who have served longer. He notes that voters around the South are getting comfortable with governors in their 40s. Ron DeSantis in Florida and Sarah Huckabee Sanders in Arkansas were both 40 years old when they became their states’ chief executive. White expects that a 40-something-year-old candidate will win the Alabama governor’s race next year.
“You’re seeing red states in the South not be content to just elect the next person who’s been around the longest,” he said. “They’re poking around a little bit and they’re asking the question, ‘Who would be best?’ even if this person happens to be 42 or 40.”
There’s a lot of time between now and 2027, and several other Republicans are reportedly considering a run for the state’s highest office. Should it come down, though, to White and Hosemann, one would normally think that age would be a bigger issue for Hosemann than for White.
But little seems to be normal these days in politics. The oldest president ever, Joe Biden, is leaving office at 82, and his replacement will beat that record by a few months should Donald Trump make it through an entire second term.
Trump, it should also be remembered, made short work of the much younger DeSantis in romping to the GOP nomination this year.
- Contact Tim Kalich at 662-581-7243 or tkalich@gwcommonwealth.com.
