Shad White has consistently disgraced the office of the auditor by engaging in excessively divisive political rhetoric.

The latest example came last week, when White turned his appearance at Mississippi’s redistricting hearing into another round of toxic political theater.

If Shad White really does want to be our next governor, every voter in the state should beware.

His clownish antics are bad for the political culture of Mississippi.

White is plainly positioning himself for what comes next.

He is actively campaigning for governor, although he has not formally declared his candidacy yet.

And his rhetoric deserves scrutiny from voters now, before it’s too late.

Mississippi does not need a knockoff version of national outrage politics occupying our Governor’s Mansion.

We already know what that politics looks like.

And we are exhausted by it.

There can be time for good faith debate, but we just want our government to work on our problems.

And Mississippi does have real problems.

Our communities need functioning hospitals, water systems, roads, good schools, reliable electricity, and jobs that allow people to build lives here.

If White wants to talk about those problems, good.

But those problems will not disappear just because White is being a second-rate version of President Donald Trump.

Besides, most Mississippians have considerably more in common with one another than political social media would have us believe.

A governor should understand that fact better than almost anyone and be committed to bringing people together.

That requires something more substantial than learning how to imitate the loudest and most obnoxious parts of national politics.

And White is a man who should know better than this and set a better example.

After all, he is the State Auditor.

His office performs serious work involving fraud, public money, and accountability.

Those are legitimate subjects for White to take to voters if he runs for governor.

Which makes his inflammatory political performances even more unnecessary, and even more damning as he makes the case for why Mississippians should elect him.

If he wants to talk about his record, that’s great.

But please spare us another politician whose idea of leadership is finding the nearest political pawn and throwing a rhetorical brick at him.

There will be plenty for everyone to disagree about in 2027.

But disagreement does not require the kind of politics that constantly turns our neighbors into enemies.

Mississippi has spent too much of its history divided against itself already.

We do not need politicians searching for new ways to keep us divided.

So if Shad White wants to become governor, he should start acting like a real leader.

And he should act like he is actually up to the task of governing.