Former north Mississippi lawmaker Nick Bain announces bid for state auditor, wins Bryant endorsement

Nick Bain announced this week that he will run for Mississippi state auditor in the 2027 election, and former Gov. Phil Bryant endorsed him in a video, calling Bain “the real deal — a true conservative who shares our Mississippi values,” Bryant said.

Bain, an attorney, represented District 2 in the Mississippi House for 12 years and served as chairman of the House Judiciary B Committee, Magnolia Tribune reported. He was first elected in 2011 as a Democrat, won re-election in 2015, and switched to the Republican Party in 2019. Bain lost a 2023 Republican primary by 26 votes to State Rep. Brad Mattox, the Tribune reported.

In an interview with Magnolia Tribune ahead of his official campaign launch, Bain said he studied accounting, marketing and law at the University of Mississippi and has represented cities, counties and other governmental entities as well as defendants in embezzlement and fraud cases. “So, I know how it works, inside and out,” he told the Tribune.

The race is expected to be competitive if two-term Auditor Shad White runs for governor in 2027, leaving the auditor’s post open, the Tribune reported. Bain reported $240,000 in cash on hand in an end-of-year finance filing with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office. State Sen. Daniel Sparks showed about $101,000 on hand at the close of 2025, the Tribune reported. Other names mentioned as possible candidates include Adams County Supervisor Kevin Wilson and attorney Phil Buffington, the Tribune said.

In his video endorsement, Bryant, who previously served as state auditor, said Bain co-authored the law that overturned Roe v. Wade, led efforts to prohibit transgender surgeries on minors and drafted a law allowing Department of Human Services investigators to enforce embezzlement statutes, according to the endorsement video. Bain told the Tribune he wants the auditor’s office to focus on helping local governments run efficiently, put more “boots on the ground” for audits and speed up investigations so local governments can rely on current audits when seeking grants. Bain also said his wife and three children are supporting his campaign, he told the Tribune.

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