Attorney General Lynn Fitch is vying to do what has never been done in Mississippi and in 16 other states – be elected governor as a woman.
The Republican attorney general completed a three-day tour of the state last week touting her qualifications after announcing she is joining what is expected to be a crowded field in 2027 to succeed Gov. Tate Reeves, who is term limited.
Fitch is in her second term as attorney general after serving two terms as treasurer. She has to be considered the most serious and formidable female candidate for governor in Mississippi since 1979.
That year, then-Lt. Gov. Evelyn Gandy led the competitive field of six candidates in the Democratic primary. She was unable to garner a majority of the vote, prompting a runoff between her and former Lt. Gov. William Winter.
In the runoff, Winter won 57% of the vote to capture the Democratic nomination, which at the time was tantamount to winning the office of governor. In those days, the Republican nominee, if there was one, did not pose much of a threat in the November general election.
In 1979, both Gandy and Winter were veteran politicians who had held multiple statewide offices.
Winter had served in the Mississippi House and in the statewide posts of tax collector (now abolished), treasurer and lieutenant governor. He had waged two unsuccessful campaigns for governor before his 1979 victory.
Gandy, the first Mississippi woman elected to a statewide constitutional office, had served as treasurer, insurance commissioner and lieutenant governor before the 1979 campaign. Like Winter, she also got her start in the Mississippi Legislature.
While Winter and Gandy both were entrenched politicians, each had unique attributes. Winter is praised for his work to improve public education at a time when anti-integration sentiment literally threatened the existence of public schools. His work on racial reconciliation after leaving public office was also notable.
Former Mississippi Lt. Gov. Evelyn Gandy. Credit: AP file photoGandy, of course, was a true trailblazer in terms of female involvement and success in Mississippi politics.
Fitch will be the first woman serving in a statewide office in Mississippi to run for governor since Gandy in 1979.
Many believed that Amy Tuck, who served as lieutenant governor from 2000 to 2008, would run for the office of governor and would be a strong candidate, thanks to her ability at retail politicking. But after finishing two terms as lieutenant governor, Tuck took an administrative job at Mississippi State University and has never ventured back into politics.
The political timing was bad for Tuck, who was first elected as a Democrat and switched to become a Republican. She was constitutionally prohibited from running for a third consecutive term as lieutenant governor, leaving her with the options to challenge Republican Gov. Haley Barbour, pursue a lesser office or step aside from politics.
Many believed after Barbour’s tenure ended, she eventually would pursue the office of governor, but she never did.
In more recent times, Cindy Hyde-Smith, who won the post of agriculture commissioner in 2011, might have been considered a strong candidate for governor. But she took a different path, becoming the first woman to serve Mississippi as a United States senator. Like Tuck, Hyde-Smith was first elected as a Democrat before becoming a Republican.
The timing was bad for Tuck in 2011. Fitch is hoping the timing is right for her now as she pursues the vacant office of governor.
And perhaps the timing seems right based on what has happened in surrounding states. Both Arkansas and Alabama currently have Republican female governors, and Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a native of Jones County in south Mississippi, is attempting to become the first female governor of Tennessee.
Women also are vying for the governorships of Georgia, Florida and Texas.
Could one of those Southern states become the 34th state to elect a woman governor and could that history maker be Fitch?
Hence then, the article about lynn fitch hopes her campaign for governor exceeds previous best effort by woman evelyn gandy in 1979 was published today ( ) and is available on Mississippi Today ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Lynn Fitch hopes her campaign for governor exceeds previous best effort by woman, Evelyn Gandy in 1979 )
Also on site :
- 1970 Song, Written About Eric Clapton's Unrequited Love for Best Friend's Wife, Took Years to Become a Hit
- Gina Prince-Bythewood Discusses the Worldbuilding of ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ and Praises Author Tomi Adeyemi as a ‘Genius’
- Obama Blames Larry David For 2014 Tan Suit Debacle In ‘Life, Larry & the Pursuit of Unhappiness’ Finale