The campaign for Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch said on Monday that she will embark on an “announcement tour” across Mississippi, a move that could signal the launch of her campaign for governor.
The tour was unveiled in a news release from Fitch’s campaign email address, which said she will make a “special announcement” Wednesday morning at the Mississippi Republican Headquarters in Jackson. She will then travel to Hattiesburg and Gulfport later that day, followed by stops in Meridian, Columbus, Tupelo, Cleveland and Southaven on Thursday and Friday.
Fitch could run for a third term as attorney general, but it is common for elected officials to travel the state as they announce a run for another office. Secretary of State Michael Watson embarked on a similar tour the day he launched his campaign for lieutenant governor. Two of Fitch’s Republican rivals for the Governor’s Mansion, Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson and former House Speaker Philip Gunn, have both been traveling the state since launching their campaigns.
Mississippi Today also obtained a photo of an email exchange from a local chapter of the Mississippi Federation of Republican Women — a political organization that has supported Fitch throughout her career as state treasurer and attorney general — that shows members encouraging each other to show up for Fitch’s announcement of her “candidacy for Mississippi governor.”
Morgan Baldwin, Fitch’s longtime political strategist, told Mississippi Today he would “let Attorney General Fitch speak for herself” when asked for more details on the announcement tour.
At the Neshoba County Fair in June, Fitch stopped short of announcing a run for governor, but said she would make her 2027 intentions known soon.
“I’ve been very encouraged by people across the state, and I’m so grateful for the encouragement and faith and the trust people have put into me as the attorney general and the treasurer,” Fitch said. “I’m excited about next steps.”
In a speech that pointed toward the future, Fitch said Mississippi is nearing a pivotal moment that would shape its trajectory for years to come.
“We’re at a moment when we can transform Mississippi from one of the nation’s best kept secrets to the very top of the leaderboard,” Fitch said.
Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who was elected in 2019 and 2023, is limited to two terms. Gunn and Gipson have formally entered the race to succeed Reeves. In addition to Fitch, other Republicans considering a run for governor in bright-red Mississippi include Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, state Auditor Shad White, former U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper,and billionaire businessman Tommy Duff.
Fitch, a Holly Springs native, served two terms as state treasurer before being elected attorney general in 2019. She began her legal career in the attorney general’s office as a special assistant attorney general. She has also served as executive director of the Mississippi State Personnel Board, worked in private practice and was deputy executive director of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.
Fitch garnered national attention for her role in advancing the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022. That decision, which was argued by attorneys in Fitch’s office, upended what had been a nationwide right to abortion.
Fitch is the first woman to serve as attorney general in the state, and would also be the first woman to serve as Mississippi’s governor, if elected.
