Michael Watson (Mississippi politician) explained

Michael Watson
Office:36th Secretary of State of Mississippi
Governor:Tate Reeves
Term Start:January 9, 2020
Predecessor:Delbert Hosemann
State Senate1:Mississippi
District1:51st
Term Start1:January 8, 2008
Term End1:January 7, 2020
Predecessor1:Tommy Robertson
Successor1:Jeremy England
Birth Date:22 December 1977
Birth Place:Pascagoula, Mississippi, U.S.
Party:Republican
Education:University of Mississippi (BBA, JD)

Michael D. Watson Jr. (born December 22, 1977)[1] is an American politician and the incumbent Secretary of State of Mississippi.[2] A Republican, he previously represented the 51st district in the Mississippi State Senate from 2008 to 2020.

Career

Watson is an attorney from Pascagoula, Mississippi. He ran in the 2007 Mississippi elections for the state senate against Tommy Robertson, and won.[3] Watson considered running for governor of Mississippi in the 2015 Mississippi gubernatorial election, but opted to run for reelection instead.[4]

While in the Mississippi Senate, Watson voted against legislation that would make it easier for college students in Mississippi to vote with absentee ballots; under the legislation, students would have been allowed to use college registrars as witnesses for their absentee ballot application.[5]

In the 2019 Mississippi elections, Watson ran for Secretary of State of Mississippi.[6] He defeated Sam Britton in the Republican primary,[7] and defeated Johnny DuPree in the general election on November 5.[8] He was sworn-in to the office on January 9, 2020.[9]

In a television interview on March 26, 2021, Watson expressed concern that "woke" college students in Mississippi, among others, would vote, falsely claiming that an Executive Order by President Biden on March 6, 2021, would automatically register people to vote.[10] Watson also falsely claimed that people would be sneakily registered without their knowledge.

After considering challenging Tate Reeves in the 2023 Mississippi gubernatorial election,[11] Watson elected instead to run for reelection.[12] He defeated Democrat Ty Pinkins to win a second term.[13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Candidate - Michael D. Watson . Our Campaigns . 2019-11-06.
  2. Web site: Michael Watson (Mississippi) . Ballotpedia . 2019-11-06.
  3. Web site: State losing vocal leaders in senate - Picayune Item. December 26, 2007.
  4. Web site: Watson running for re-election, not higher office. February 26, 2015. February 27, 2015. The Clarion-Ledger. Pender. Geoff.
  5. Web site: 2021-04-06. Mississippi Elections Chief Warns Biden May Register 'Woke,' 'Uninformed' College Voters. 2021-04-07. Mississippi Free Press. en-US.
  6. Web site: Sen. Michael Watson plans run for secretary of state . Clarionledger.com . August 3, 2018 . September 16, 2019.
  7. Web site: Mississippi Secretary of State race: Watson, DuPree win primaries . Clarionledger.com . August 6, 2019 . September 27, 2019.
  8. Web site: The Latest: Maxwell wins Public Service Commission seat | State . mdjonline.com . 2019-11-06.
  9. News: Pettus. Emily Wagster. 7 of 8 statewide officials inaugurated. The Greenwood Commonwealth. Associated Press. 1, 12. January 10, 2020.
  10. Web site: SOS Michael Watson under fire for voter registration comments made on WLOX . WLOX . January 14, 2022 . en . April 9, 2021.
  11. Web site: Secretary of State Michael Watson mulls move to oust Gov. Tate Reeves. TAYLOR VANCE Daily. Journal. Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. December 17, 2022 .
  12. Web site: Secretary of State Michael Watson announces 2023 run for reelection . Clarionledger.com . 2023-01-19 . 2023-01-27.
  13. Web site: Watson defeats challenger to remain Mississippi secretary of state . November 8, 2023 .