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The Neshoba County Fair is a Mississippi tradition, bringing together thousands of folk at the height of summer for a week of Southern celebration—music, dancing, food, cattle shows, horse racing, and, of course, politics. Ever since Ronald Reagan kicked off his 1980 presidential campaign at the Fair, it’s been the place where public officials in our state go to share their vision.
Of course, not every speech I’ve heard at Neshoba was always memorable or historic. This Thursday was different. House Speaker Jason White delivered a powerful speech making the case for universal school choice, which may mark a turning point for Mississippi.
Reflecting on his promise last year to eliminate the income tax—a promise he kept—Speaker White made it clear that we can expect to see a comprehensive bill to extend school choice in 2026. “Every child regardless of their zip code,” he said “deserves a fair chance to succeed. …. Parents know what’s best for their children”.
White emphasized that Mississippi families should control their child’s share of state education funds, empowering them to choose the best education—public, private, or homeschool—for their children.
White’s speech was frequently interrupted by prolonged applause from the crowd. Enthusiasm was obvious when the Speaker framed school choice, or what President Trump calls “Parent Power,” as a cornerstone of conservative policy. The Trump White House, Speaker White noted, is fully supportive of his push for Parent Power.
Governor Reeves, who followed Speaker White at the podium, talked about school choice at the press huddle afterwards. Reeves made it clear he is 100 percent onboard with White’s plan. The Governor suggested that Mississippi needed to prioritize school choice now that so many other southern states had done so. Every neighboring state—Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana—has embraced school choice, giving families choices for their kids that once only rich people had.
The 2025 Neshoba County Fair could go down in history as the occasion where the House Speaker came out clearly for School Choice – and the conservative movement, urged on by the Trump White House, rallied in support.
I might not have been at Neshoba for Reagan in 1980, but I was there for Jason White in 2025. A historic inflection point for our state.
Douglas Carswell is the President and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
MageeNews.com is the online news source for Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi
