NESHOBA COUNTY — Two contenders for Mississippi governor in 2027 unveiled a raft of proposals at the Neshoba County Fair on Wednesday, vowing to spend significant amounts of money on new initiatives while keeping taxes low and government lean. 

The lofty proposals are a preview of issues that could shape what could be a crowded Republican primary with Gov. Tate Reeves being term limited.

Under the tin-roofed pavilion at Founder’s Square, Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson literally threw his cowboy hat from the stage into the ring for the governor’s race, after having made a previous announcement via social media that he would seek the office. 

The second-term commissioner declared that, if elected governor, he would be an ally to Republican President Donald Trump.  

“America is back on track,” Gipson said. “America is first again, for a change. Conservative policies are on the agenda again.” 

As a response to ongoing challenges in the agriculture industry, Gipson announced a new strategic plan that he called “probably the most significant announcement that I’ve ever made since I became commissioner.”

The plan will involve Gipson partnering with industry leaders to look at issues such as crop diversification and international trade, drafting a long-term state agriculture plan. He also called for a major investment in transportation and an overhaul of the state’s road infrastructure. 

“What we have to do is make our transportation infrastructure the priority,” Gipson said. “The money is up there, available to use, we just have to redirect those funds to make sure that they’re being spent consistently on projects that are actually getting done to benefit our transportation and commerce across the state.”

Asked by reporters about the potential legalization of mobile sports betting, one of the hotly contested issues under the Capitol dome over the past few sessions, Gipson said he opposes the policy: “I think we’ve got a lot of betting that’s already happening right now across the state, so I don’t know that it’s necessary.”

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann told reporters he’s considering running for governor in 2027, but stopped short of declaring his candidacy on Wednesday. For now, the two-term lieutenant governor remains committed to advancing his priorities through the state Senate, he said.  

And he wants to send taxpayers a rebate check next year.

“Absolutely, we’re considering a run for governor. But I think the most important thing is to do your job, and I’ve got a pretty aggressive agenda that I’m working on,” Hosemann said. “After that, when things settle down a year out or whatever, that’s the time to be doing this. I’m not quitting the thing that people hired me to do.” 

Among the policies Hosemann hopes to marshal through the Legislature next session is a $316 million tax rebate program. Mississippi has surplus funds that should be returned to taxpayers, Hosemann said.   

“We will issue a $316 million tax rebate. That is 15% of every dollar that everybody paid last April. It will be across the board, so if you paid $1,000 in state taxes, we’ll send you back a $150 check, and that will go all the way through,” Hosemann said. “That will help our economy, and it shows Mississippians that we’re running the government well. We’re running a state government just like we should be – we’re shrinking the size of government and we’re returning taxpayer funds.”

Hosemann said the proposal would not impact the tax overhaul law passed by the Legislature last session and that it may not be a recurring rebate since the income tax is being phased out. He also advocated a “significant restructuring of government to cut fat and red tape, and said he wants to raise K-12 teacher salaries and ban cellphone use in classrooms. 

Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney continued to advocate for the Legislature to change his office from an elected position to an appointed one, an effort that failed to gain any major traction at the Capitol during the 2025 session earlier this year. 

Chaney, who has been the commissioner since 2007, believes it’s not sound policy for a candidate running for the office to accept money from insurance companies because the commissioner is responsible for regulating those same businesses once elected.  

“You would take politics out of the elected position, and you don’t have companies contributing to you trying to run the office,” Chaney told reporters. 

U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, a Republican who represents the state’s 3rd Congressional District, presented a message from President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump that called the attendees of the fair “the heart and soul of America.” 

Guest also said the Department of Justice should release all of the files with information on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with federal sex trafficking trafficking crimes before dying in prison. Many of the Republican president’s supporters want the government to release the Epstein files, but to their chagrin, administration officials insist there’s nothing more to disclose. 

“I think it would be best to go ahead and release the files as much as possible in its entirety,” Guest said. “I know there will probably need to be a redaction of certain things, the names of potential victims and things of that nature, but I think the quicker that we can get that information to the general public and not (allow) a distraction that we’ve seen in Washington, D.C., will allow us to get back to doing the business of people.”

Gov. Tate Reeves, House Speaker Jason White, Secretary of State Michael Watson, Attorney General Lynn Fitch, State Treasurer David McRae, Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons, Public Service Commissioner DeKeither Stamps and Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Randolph will speak at the fair on Thursday.