The cat is officially out of the bag. Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson is running for lieutenant governor.

Watson, in recent weeks, announced that he would not be seeking a third term in his current office but would appear on the statewide ballot in 2027. The Republican from Pascagoula on Tuesday made it known that he is gunning for the position currently held by term-limited Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann.

His motive for running for a higher office ultimately stemmed from a belief that he fulfilled his primary objectives as secretary of state and that the door had opened for him to pursue a better opportunity to serve Mississippians. Watson said he didn’t decide to eye another elected office lightly, noting that his decision followed prayer and reflection over what his next move should be.

“Anybody my age, that’s young, that’s not thinking maybe of something else, is probably lying to you. But what I will tell you is that when the opportunity presents itself where I feel like I can do more good for Mississippi in any other position, we’ll take a hard look at it and pray about it. If I have a peace about it, then we’ll take a shot,” Watson said on Mornings with Richard Cross, where he first made the announcement.

“That’s been my trajectory. I never wanted to be secretary of state. It was not something I looked forward to doing. It’s just been the opportunity where I felt like I could do the most good at the right time. It’s time and opportunity, and having the peace where the Lord says, ‘Hey, we think this is the right move. Let’s go.’”

Now having publicly announced his next move, Watson will begin an 11-stop tour across Mississippi to vouch for himself as the man for the job to build momentum ahead of next year’s primary elections. Stops include Pascagoula, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Jackson, Meridian, Starkville, Tupelo, Oxford, Olive Branch, Cleveland, and Brookhaven.

If elected lieutenant governor, Watson said he would work to strengthen the partnership between his office and the governor. He said Mississippi has lacked a strong working relationship between those two elected leaders in recent years. Stopping short of outlining a full policy agenda, Watson added that he would work to enact legislation to shrink the size of government.

“I think the lieutenant governor’s office should be a great partner with the governor, and quite frankly, I don’t think that’s happening right now. It’s something that we’re going to work toward,” Watson said, “I’m a small government conservative, so [my top priority] is, how do we shrink the size and scope of state government to give Mississippians more abilities to impact their lives and their family’s lives as opposed to them being made in Jackson? I think that’s the overarching idea. Is it streamlining state government? Absolutely. Is it cutting spending? Absolutely.”

Watson, who has served as secretary of state since 2020, has emphasized election security during his tenure, including support for legislation requiring paper ballots and enforcement of related regulations.

Former Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn eyeing governor’s office

He said his office’s efforts have drawn national attention, noting that the Trump administration recently asked him to help organize a group of secretaries of state to develop election policy proposals for potential executive and congressional action.

Beyond elections, Watson launched the “Tackle the Tape” initiative aimed at reducing regulatory barriers for businesses. His office also started the “Mississippi Businesses Against Trafficking” campaign, which trains business owners and employees to recognize and report signs of human trafficking.

“We’ve heard a lot of talk about election integrity. Mississippi has moved from 26th to 11th in the country when it comes to election integrity policies. That comes from listening to Mississippians and understanding that this is important to us and that we need to get it right,” Watson said. “People are proud of the work we’ve done and will continue to be proud of the work.”

Before being elected statewide, Watson served three terms representing parts of Jackson County in the state Senate, a role that gives him a closer look at what the lieutenant governor’s office does. In Mississippi, the lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, appoints committee chairs, and assigns bills to committees, among other legislative functions.

As the second-in-command, the lieutenant governor serves as the governor when the state’s highest-ranking elected official is either absent or incapacitated.

Looking ahead to 2027, Watson is currently the only candidate in the running for lieutenant governor. As of Dec. 31, 2025, Watson’s campaign had $2.5 million in cash on hand. As for who will replace him as secretary of state, Republican Shuwaski Young has already announced his intention to run for the office. At this time, he is the only candidate who has officially declared a bid for the gig.