CLINTON, Miss.—Philip Gunn rustled his grandson’s hair while bowing in prayer with his family minutes before he promised to deliver tax cuts, high-paying jobs and affordable health care while protecting Mississippi’s “values” as its next governor at a campaign event in Clinton, Mississippi.
“Our values in Mississippi are the backbone of the strength of our state,” he said to an audience of family, lobbyists, supporters and lawmakers gathered in the grass by the porch of the Clinton Visitor Center. “These are things like protecting the strength of the family unit, protecting the sanctity of marriage, protecting the lives of the unborn, protecting religious freedom, making sure that our daughters were protected by keeping boys out of girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms, by keeping boys out of girls’ sports, by fighting crime, to making sure that our families, our children enjoy safe spaces in their communities, in their church, and in their schools.”
If voters elect Gunn, the 63-year-old former speaker of the Mississippi House, to serve as governor in 2027, he promises to eliminate the grocery tax, reduce property taxes and control the amount of money the State government borrows and spends. He advocated for a focus on families and smaller government in his administration.
The state income tax saw a major decrease under Gunn’s leadership as House speaker, which he said paved the way for the 2025 bill that gradually reduces the income tax to zero over time.
The Republican also said he wanted to make health care “affordable and available,” which means focusing on rural access to health care and attracting more doctors to work in those areas.
“We have areas of our state where the population is simply declining, and that presents a real challenge to keep health care available in those areas,” Gunn told the Mississippi Free Press on Tuesday. “So, I think it’s just going to require a long, hard look of pulling together the players, pulling together the pieces and discussing how are we going to continue to provide health care in those areas where the population is declining?”
Gunn aims to bring more high-paying jobs and industries to Mississippi. One way he plans to do this is by creating a committee of successful business leaders in the state who could have discussions with him as governor and help sway economic development policy decisions.
“We’ve had enough talk in Mississippi,” Gunn said. “The future of Mississippi depends on more than talk. It demands leadership that’s been in the battle to get things done.”
The former Republican Mississippi House speaker represented House District 56 from 2004 to 2023 and was one of the longest-serving House speakers in state history, leading the body from 2012 to 2023. Gunn was Mississippi’s first Republican House speaker in 136 years. In 2006, he helped form the Republican Caucus of the Mississippi Legislature, which is still active today.
Gunn oversaw the Legislature’s decision to change the Mississippi state flag, which once featured a Confederate emblem, in favor of a new one that features a magnolia, the official state flower. Black Mississippians had sought for decades to change the state flag, citing its racist origins.
The former speaker first called to change the state flag in 2015, after a neo-Confederate gunman assassinated nine people in a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina. Five years later, as young Black Mississippians marched for a new state flag amid the 2020 race reckoning and other Black leaders worked behind the scenes for change, lawmakers in both chambers overwhelmingly voted to retire the old flag.
While Gunn was House speaker, the Legislature also passed a 15-week abortion ban in 2018 that sparked the court battle leading to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which led the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending federal protections for abortion rights. Gunn oversaw the passage of a separate six-week abortion ban that helped guarantee virtually all abortions became illegal in Mississippi once Roe fell.
The Legislature later enacted dollar-for-dollar tax credits to people who donate to qualified nonprofit pregnancy resource centers in 2022, and in 2023 started the safe haven baby box program for families to legally and anonymously surrender infants who are younger than 72 hours old.
During Gunn’s tenure, Mississippi enacted the highest teacher pay raise in the state’s history.
“What are some of the things that you should look for as you choose who is going to be the next leader of this state?” Gunn said at his campaign event. “Well, I think the best way to pick that person is to look at their track record. Look at their resume.”
If elected as governor, Gunn would have the power to approve or veto bills the Mississippi legislature passed, grant suffrage and pardons, and convene the Legislature for special sessions. He would also serve as the commander-in-chief for the Mississippi National Guard.
Several Republican legislators attended Gunn’s campaign announcement event, including current House Speaker Rep. Jason White, R-West, Sen. Chad McMahan and Reps. Clay Deweese, Casey Eure, Gene Newman, Kevin Felsher, Fred Shanks, Price Wallace, Kevin Ford, Clay Mansell, Vince Mangold, Troy Smith and Billy Calvert.
Current House Speaker Jason White said Gunn was a “good example” of a leader whose “policy and character” prove he should be the next governor for Mississippi.
“You know what you’re getting with Philip Gunn,” White told reporters on Tuesday. “You don’t have to wonder, speculate or guess. You’ve seen him work in those circles and at the Capitol, and so, being a known commodity is another big thing for Mississippians. To me, his credentials are what he appears to be.”
The winner of the 2027 election will succeed incumbent Republican Tate Reeves, who is term-limited. He has not signaled any plans for after his term ends in January 2028. Republican Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson is the only other candidate who’s made an official announcement that he is running for governor, but other Republicans and Democrats are expected to throw their hats in the ring in the upcoming months. The primaries for all eight statewide offices and legislative offices will be held in the summer of 2027.
Follow the Mississippi Free Press’ coverage of the 2027 elections here.
