Speaker Pro Tempore Jason White is predicted to be Mississippi’s next House speaker following the results from Tuesday’s primary elections.
White, R-West, defeated Cliff Hays by a 60-point margin in the Republican primary for House District 48, and with no Democratic challenger, White will sweep the general election and go straight into a fourth term.
If a majority of the Republican-led House is aligned with Rep. Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, White will be a shoo-in to become the state’s next speaker when the session kicks back up in January.
“I do fully expect the Republicans to maintain the Mississippi House of Representatives, and so I feel like after the Republican primaries are over with, we can start having some serious considerations about who our next speaker is going to be,” Lamar said on Monday. “I don’t think there are any secrets from as far as I stand. I fully expect Jason White to be our next speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives.”
White, who would replace longtime House Speaker Philip Gunn if elected by his peers, has previously stated his intentions to fill the role, saying he’s already received encouragement to do so from both colleagues and voters across the state.
“I’m not hiding the fact that I would want to run for speaker. I’ve been encouraged to do that by my colleagues and folks have been very supportive,” White said.
So far, no official discussions have taken place between members of the House, but Lamar expects talks to begin in the coming days now that primary elections are complete.
