[citation needed] Upon completion of high school, Mitchell majored in biology at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and he aspired to be a doctor.
[2] Mitchell returned to South Carolina in 1969 to attend his grandmother's funeral and found a changed atmosphere that provided economic opportunities for blacks.
[2] Mitchell sought to emulate the recent successes of black politicians such as Jesse Jackson and Douglas Wilder by announcing his candidacy in January for the South Carolina gubernatorial election of 1990.
He faced a Democratic primary challenge from State Senator Ernie Passailaigue, but Mitchell won easily thanks in large part due to the support of black voters.
Mitchell went on to lose the general election to Governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. because of his inability to attract support from the white state Democratic Party establishment.