State Senator throws his hat in the ring for Transportation Commissioner

Sen. Chuck Younger wants to take Transportation Committe experience to the Commissioner's post

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – There will be some changes coming in state government in Mississippi next year.

Besides the races at the top of the ticket, there will definitely be some new faces down-ticket.

Northern District Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell has decided not to run for re-election, leaving that position wide open.

And that race already has its first entry, District 17 State Senator Chuck Younger.

Younger, a Lowndes County farmer and rancher, is the current Chairman of the Senate Highways and Transportation Committee.

Transportation Commissioners help set the priorities for road and bridge projects across the state, and Younger believes his experience in both the Legislature and business would help him in the position.

“Being chairman of Highways and Transportation, and then I was also chair of Ag before that. Of course, Agriculture, you gotta take all your commodities on the highway. That’s a big part. You know, I’ve been familiar with both of those committees, and we’ve done a lot in Mississippi. We’ve passed the HB 1 bill a couple of years ago that increased sales tax on fuel, but we were the lowest state in the Union, besides Alaska, on the fuel tax, so it was time. So, if you want to ride on a safe highway, it was time to do that, and I was a part of that. And I was glad to be a part of that.”

Mississippi holds statewide elections in 2027. Primaries will be in August,a nd the General Election will be in November.