Luckett, who earlier this month formed political action committee Progress for Mississippi, said he wants to take his message to all Mississippians, regardless of party affiliations.

He describes himself as a pro-business Democrat who wants to do the most good for the most people in the state.

“I’m refining, defining and clarifying position points, but my biggest goal for the state is in terms of improving education and educational opportunities for all Mississippians,” he said. “Unfortunately, we continue to rank 50th in terms of education or educational performance, and something’s got to give there.”

“Education is going to be the main focus of my efforts to lead the state, if I get to that point,” he said.

Charter schools, public schools that are free of some state regulations, are part of Luckett’s plan to improve levels of education in the state, deriving this idea from the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) School in Helena, Ark.

“What I heard, I couldn’t believe to start out with, but it turned out to be true,” he said. “A group of dedicated teachers and across-the-board fifth grade students got together and started a school effort about five or six years ago. Those same students who were testing in the bottom one-fifth percentile were now testing in the top one-fifth percentile.”

Helena and the Arkansas Delta are demographically almost identical to the Mississippi Delta, and parts of Mississippi are very similar to Helena, Luckett said.

“It points out that you can make a difference with the right set of dedicated teachers and students,” Luckett explained. “With a will to learn, you raise the bar and raise the expectations and they’ve done a tremendous job at the KIPP school. That really sold me on charter schools.”

He said that charter schools would only be necessary in regions where the existing public schools have repetitively exhibited underperformance.

“There are great schools in Mississippi, like right here in DeSoto County,” he said. “It’s not to say that the public school administrations (of underperforming schools) aren’t trying to do something, it’s to what degree sometimes. I see them attacking the problem and chipping away, but I think it’s time for a sledgehammer now. We’ve got to do something a little more significantly.”

Being from the Mississippi Delta won’t make a whole lot of difference in his campaign, he said, but it could give him the extra “umph” he needs to succeed.

“The Delta is just a little harder hit than the rest of the state, so you feel it a little more and maybe it gives me a little more urge to do something a little bit better,” he said. “The Delta is the poorest part of the state, the state’s the poorest one in the nation. The Delta has lower opportunities educationally, but the state has the lowest opportunities in the nation. So, it’s just a little worse there.”

Early childhood education is also an issue that Luckett hopes to address.

“I think intercepting children in daycare centers or head-start centers at 2-years-old, and not just changing diapers and feeding snacks, but offering education - I mean, some real teaching and training - is a great idea,” he said.

Luckett said that research proves that the mind can be molded at a very young age, and he believes that teaching young children will help improve the state’s education levels.

Luckett said business partner Morgan Freeman supports him on his quest for governor.

“He worries about losing me as a friend, but says he’ll support me because it does take an enormous amount of time and effort,” Luckett said.

Although he has not yet announced his official candidacy, Luckett’s formation of Progress for Mississippi is a step in that direction.  This committee, composed of volunteer board members from across the state, will be responsible for collecting input from the public through town hall meetings and other types of group meetings.

Progress for Mississippi will also be responsible for raising the necessary funds for Luckett’s campaign. If their goal is reached, Luckett said he will officially announce his candidacy.

“You have to raise money to have a warchest in order to be a viable candidate,” Luckett said. “I’m soliciting contributions from everybody. Right now, I’m calling people from my life, basically. I just talked to a former college fraternity brother as I was driving into your parking lot.”

Luckett said his main fundraising strategy is making hundreds of phone calls over time, asking people “Hey, will you help me? If so, how much? Please send a check to the PAC.”

The attorney/businessman wears many hats in the Mississippi Delta. Luckett co-owns Ground Zero Blues Club and Madidi fine-dining restaurant with actor Morgan Freeman, is an attorney at Luckett Tyner Law Firm, and works in the radio business as well as in real estate development. In fact, Luckett’s wife, Francine, gave up her job as a teacher 12 years ago in order to manage the rental properties her husband previously purchased and renovated.

With a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, a law degree from the University of Mississippi and experience as a National Guardsman, Luckett says he is anything but a “career politician” like many of the state’s leaders.

“A career politician, by definition, is someone who’s been doing it for a long time,” he said. “We haven’t seen the changes I’d like to see in Mississippi, and they’ve had a long time to do it.”