State Auditor Shad White announces run for governor

LAUREL, Miss. (WTVA) – Mississippi State Auditor Shad White announced Monday that he is running for governor.

White, a Republican, said he wants to cut government waste and pass the savings on to Mississippi families.

Campaign platform

White said he wants to reduce grocery taxes and car-tag fees, freeze property taxes, and cut what he calls waste and fraud in state government.

White said he is running for governor to continue the work he has done as state auditor.

“My team and I have uncovered a record amount [of] fraud and corruption in state government,” White said. “And unfortunately we don’t have the power to prosecute anybody when we find this stuff. We don’t have the power to fire bureaucrats to cut out the waste. And so I’m running for governor now to finish the job.”

White also describes himself as a supporter of President Donald Trump even after the so-called “blue tsunami” that gave Democrats majorities in both the U.S. House and Senate.

White’s background

White, a Sandersville native, was appointed state auditor in 2018. He won election in 2019 and was reelected in 2023.

He is a former Rhodes Scholar who graduated from Ole Miss, Oxford and Harvard Law School. He also serves in the Mississippi National Guard.

White played a key role in investigating Mississippi’s welfare scandal. The investigation has led to legal disputes, including a defamation lawsuit filed against White by former NFL quarterback Brett Favre.

Governor’s race

Three other Republicans have announced campaigns for governor: Attorney General Lynn Fitch, Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson and former House Speaker Philip Gunn.

Two Democrats have also announced: civil rights advocate Priscilla Williams Till and former state trooper Ivana Williams.

Major party candidates must qualify by Monday, Feb. 1, 2027. The general election is set for Nov. 2.