Andy Gipson
2018 - Present
2028
7
Andy Gipson (Republican Party) is the Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce. He assumed office in 2018. His current term ends on January 6, 2028.
Gipson (Republican Party) ran for re-election for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce. He won in the general election on November 7, 2023.
Gipson is a former Republican member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, representing District 77 from 2008 to 2018.
Biography
Gipson earned his B.A. from Mississippi College and J.D. from the Mississippi College School of Law. His professional experience includes working as an attorney with Watkins, Ludlum, Winter and Stennis; and as the owner of Gipson Land and Cattle.[1]
Political career
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce (2018-present)
Gipson is the Republican Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce. He was appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant (R) on March 29, 2018. Gipson replaced former officeholder Cindy Hyde-Smith (R), who was appointed to take over the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Sen. Thad Cochran (R) on April 1, 2018.[2]
Mississippi Houses of Representatives (2008-2018)
Gipson represented District 77 of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 2008 to 2018.
Elections
2023
See also: Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner election, 2023
General election
General election for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce
Incumbent Andy Gipson defeated Robert Bradford in the general election for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Andy Gipson (R) | 57.8 | 467,901 |
 | Robert Bradford (D)  | 42.2 | 342,172 | |
| Total votes: 810,073 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce
Robert Bradford defeated Bethany Hill and Terry Rogers II in the Democratic primary for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce on August 8, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Robert Bradford | 51.7 | 99,748 |
 | Bethany Hill | 26.0 | 50,203 | |
 | Terry Rogers II | 22.3 | 42,991 | |
| Total votes: 192,942 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Robert Briggs (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce
Incumbent Andy Gipson advanced from the Republican primary for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce on August 8, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Andy Gipson | 100.0 | 351,194 |
| Total votes: 351,194 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Gipson in this election.
2019
See also: Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner election, 2019
General election
General election for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce
Incumbent Andy Gipson defeated Rickey Cole in the general election for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Andy Gipson (R) | 58.7 | 509,239 |
| Rickey Cole (D) | 41.3 | 358,318 | ||
| Total votes: 867,557 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce
Rickey Cole advanced from the Democratic primary for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce on August 6, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Rickey Cole | 100.0 | 254,523 | |
| Total votes: 254,523 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce
Incumbent Andy Gipson advanced from the Republican primary for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce on August 6, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Andy Gipson | 100.0 | 342,708 |
| Total votes: 342,708 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2015
Elections for the Mississippi House of Representatives took place in 2015. A primary election was held on August 4, 2015. The general election took place on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 27, 2015.[3] No Democratic candidates filed for election. Incumbent Andy Gipson was unopposed in the Republican primary. Gipson ran unchallenged in the District 77 general election.
2011
On November 8, 2011, Gipson won re-election to District 77 of the Mississippi House of Representatives. He ran unopposed in the August 2 primary and was unchallenged in the November 8 general election.[4]
2007
On November 6, 2007, Gipson was elected in District 77, defeating Democratic challenger Dale Berry in the general election.[5] Gipson defeated incumbent Clint Rottenberry and Billy Therrell in the primary election with 1,455 votes versus 1,207 and 454, respectively.[6]
| Mississippi House of Representatives, District 77 (2007) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| J. Andrew Gipson (R) | 4,453 | 58.06% | ||
| Dale Berry (D) | 3,128 | 40.78% | ||
| Lynn McLean (Green) | 89 | 1.16% | ||
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Andy Gipson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Andy Gipson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Stances on the issues
Agriculture commissioners are responsible for overseeing and regulating practices and policies that affect farmers, consumers of agricultural products, and the broader agricultural industry in their states. Their powers can vary, but they typically have the authority to enforce state laws and regulations pertaining to agriculture and investigate practices related to the agricultural sector that may violate state laws or regulations.[7][8]
This section outlines Gipson's stances on policy issues as they relate to agriculture.
Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG)
| Environmental, social, and corporate governance |
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| • What is ESG? • Enacted ESG legislation • Arguments for and against ESG • Opposition to ESG • Federal ESG rules • ESG legislation tracker • Economy and Society: Ballotpedia's weekly ESG newsletter |
Gipson has argued against ESG, which refers to an investment or corporate governance approach that involves considering the extent to which corporations conform to certain standards related to environmental, social, and corporate governance issues (such as net carbon emission or corporate board diversity goals) and making business and investment decisions that promote those standards. Agricultural commissioners have the authority to use their investigative and enforcement powers to scrutinize the effects of financial practices on the agricultural sector, write letters to financial institutions requesting information on their policies and practices, and issue regulations related to fertilizer usage, agricultural fuel usage, and rural electrification.[7][8]
Letter opposing ESG practices at financial institutions
Gipson joined eleven agricultural commissioners from other states on January 29, 2024, in writing a public letter to the CEOs of six large banks, including J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs, opposing their ESG commitments.[7][8]
The letter argued that the financial institutions’ commitments to implementing Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) policies could restrict credit access for farmers and coerce agricultural producers into changing their farming practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The officials said such changes would increase costs in the agricultural sector, reduce the availability of food, drive up consumer prices, and eliminate jobs in the industry.[7][8]
The letter requested additional information related to the banks’ ESG commitments, including details on how the banks intended to promote NZBA’s carbon emissions targets for the agricultural sector.[7][8]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Gipson has been a member of the Mississippi Bar Association and the Mississippi Cattlemen's Association.[1]
State legislative tenure
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
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Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Mississippi scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2018
In 2018, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 2 through March 28.
- Legislators are scored by the ACLU on their whether their votes on bills "promote racial, cultural, and economic justice."
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business and economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 3 through March 29. There was also a special session June 5.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 5 through April 21.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 6 through April 2.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 7 through April 2.
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Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Gipson served on the following committees:
| Mississippi committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Judiciary B, Chair |
| • Judiciary En Banc, Vice Chair |
| • Apportionment and Elections |
| • Banking and Financial Services |
| • Congressional Redistricting |
| • Insurance |
| • Legislative Reapportionment |
| • Rules |
| • Ways and Means |
2012-2013
During the 2012-2013 legislative session, Gipson served on the following committees:
| Mississippi committee assignments, 2012 |
|---|
| • Apportionment and Elections |
| • Banking and Financial Services |
| • Congressional Redistricting |
| • Insurance |
| • Judiciary B, Chair |
| • Judiciary En Banc, Vice Chair |
| • Legislative Reapportionment |
| • Rules |
| • Ways and Means |
2010-2011
During the 2010-2011 legislative session, Gipson served on the following committees:
| Mississippi committee assignments, 2010 |
|---|
| • Investigate State Offices, Vice Chair |
| • Agriculture |
| • Corrections |
| • Insurance |
| • Judiciary A |
| • Judiciary En Banc |
| • Select Cmte on Philanthropic Development |
| • Select Committee on Poverty |
See also
2023 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce |
Officeholder Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Project Vote Smart - Rep. Gipson
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedappoint - ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "2015 Elections Calendar," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "2011 Election Results," accessed March 23, 2014
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "2007 Statewide Elections," accessed February 14, 2014
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, 2007 Republican primary certification
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Fox Business, “Dozen state GOP agriculture commissioners launch probe of US banks over ESG investing: 'It must be stopped,'” accessed February 13, 2024
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Georgia Department of Agriculture, “Impact of Net-Zero Banking Alliance on Agriculture & Food Security,” January 29, 2024
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Mississippi House of Representatives District 77 2008-2018 |
Succeeded by - |
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