The Clarion Ledger asked more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers in the state Legislature whether they would consider running for governor, and the response from the majority of them was lukewarm. Many legislators said they would not want to give up their seat in a safely Democratic district to run what they viewed as a long-shot, rushed campaign.

‘The national party is willing to commit’

For years, Mississippi has ranked among the most Republican states. The national Democratic Party has largely directed its efforts, and dollars, to states with more competitive races. That approach has evolved recently, said a party employee granted anonymity to discuss the group’s financial strategy with the Clarion Ledger.

“We want to invest money into Southern states,” the official said in a June interview. “Democrats are winning in the South, and even when they’re not winning, they’re making a name for themselves and the party in groups that have lost confidence in us.”

The party employee pointed to Scott Colom, a district attorney challenging Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith for a U.S. Senate seat, as an example of successful grassroots campaigning that has gained traction. Colom is traveling throughout Mississippi doing the kind of “door-knocking and handshaking” that translates into November votes, they said.

The Democratic National Committee and its affiliated Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund have contributed significant amounts to the Mississippi Democratic Party this year, which intensified in April when Reeves brought the topic of redistricting to the Legislature’s doorstep.

Reeves announced on April 24 a redistricting special session to address the configuration of the state’s Supreme Court districts. That day, the national Democratic Party funneled $22,500 into the state party’s piggy bank. Just over a month later, the grassroots victory fund made a $25,600 contribution.

“The national party is willing to commit hundreds of thousands of dollars, probably more than a million, to a competitive, eager Democrat who wants to be the governor,” the party official said. “Everyone is upset about the economy and the war and the state of health care, and even lifelong Republicans are potentially looking for something new. We have an incredible opportunity to take advantage of this frustration; we just need the state officials to give us a name to rally behind.”

The national party is not the only one pouring money into the Magnolia State. American Bridge 21st Century, the largest progressive super PAC in the country, is making a $2 million advertising investment in Mississippi ahead of the midterms to support Colom.

A similarly “exciting and marketable” candidate for governor, the national party employee said, would almost certainly be able to bring in comparable support.

Is all hope lost for Mississippi Democrats?

Campaigns are like snowflakes, said Democratic strategist Letitia Jackson, in that no two are identical. What they all have in common, she said, is a focus on two elements: familiarity and money.

Jackson has worked primarily on campaigns for U.S. House and Senate, but she said that governor races are close to those because both require statewide support and tend to stretch into the upper levels of spending. When asked about the 2027 elections in Mississippi, she warned that the Democratic Party needs to take action as quickly as possible.

“We’re not at the tornado siren yet, but the alarm bells are ringing,” she said in a July 21 interview. “Someone notable needs to step up, with the full support of the state party, and embrace campaigning with their whole heart if we’re going to run a serious race here.”

Jackson argued that there are benefits to delaying a candidate announcement. While jumping into the race at the first opportunity lets you spend years, not months, building a brand for yourself among your potential voters, she said, it also demands a continuous donation stream that many people can’t maintain.

The party is at a slight advantage in that arena, Jackson said, because it has received large cash infusions from the national party in recent months. It is unclear whether the national Democratic Party, in the midst of a donation slump, can keep disbursing that money in Mississippi indefinitely.

Her assessment, Jackson told the Clarion Ledger, was that a year is “workable” for Mississippi Democrats if they “pursue an aggressive ground game and make up ground where Republicans are losing it.”

“A lot of people are upset with the current administrations, Trump and Tate [Reeves], and that’s where they need to get in,” Jackson said. “The Democrats need to run an all-out campaign: town halls across the state, a platform that focuses on cost of living and health care, support locally from the people in office now.”

People feel differently about their local representatives, from school board members to state lawmakers, than they do about the candidates on a statewide ballot, Jackson said.

“They vote for the governor because he’s a Republican; they vote for their state senator because he sits in their row at church and once spent two hours walking them through a government website,” she said. “A Democratic candidate [for governor] needs to forge those relationships on the local level and navigate the campaign with that crucial support.”

Jackson’s final verdict: Democrats can still win if they move fast. Johnson made the same prediction.

Johnson acknowledged how “extremely frustrating” it is to watch the clock tick down without a candidate and asked Democratic voters in the state to “be patient.

“The problem in Mississippi is that Democrats, especially statewide candidates, have a hard time raising money,” Johnson said. He added, though, that Colom has broken that pattern, and his midterm election later this year will serve as “a sort of linchpin for everything down the ticket as well.”

It is a difficult time for the country and the state of Mississippi, Johnson said, pointing to impending redistricting set to alter the state’s voting landscape. And while it is “kind of late,” he doesn’t think that it’s too late to propel a candidate into contention for the state’s highest office.

Sen. Hillman Frazier, the longest-tenured Democratic senator, echoed Johnson and explained that he believes Democrats have the issues on their side.

“Folks are looking for alternatives right now. They’re hurting,” Frazier said. “We’ve seen what people have experienced under Republican leadership for the past 16 years. Republicans are not offering anything to give us hope so far. Democrats have an opportunity to capitalize on that right now.”

Bea Anhuci is the state government reporter for the Clarion Ledger. She has covered Mississippi politics since the start of 2026. Email her at banhuci@usatoday.com.