Cindy Hyde-Smith

Cindy Hyde-Smith
source
Name	Cindy Hyde-Smith
State	Mississippi
Alongside	Roger Wicker
Term start	April 9, 2018
Predecessor	Thad Cochran
Office	United States Senator
Party	Republican (2010–present)
Otherparty	Democratic (before 2010)
Office1	Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce
Term start1	January 10, 2012
Term end1	April 9, 2018
Governor1	Phil Bryant
Predecessor1	Lester Spell
Successor1	Andy Gipson
Office2	Member of the Mississippi Senate
Term start2	2000
Term end2	2012
Constituency2	39th district
Birth name	Cindy Hyde
Birth date	10 May 1959
Birth place	Brookhaven, Mississippi, U.S.
Spouse	Michael Smith
Alma mater	University of Southern Mississippi (BS),, Copiah–Lincoln Community College
Religion	Baptist

Cindy Hyde-Smith is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Mississippi since 2018. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as the Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce and as a member of the Mississippi Senate. Hyde-Smith was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Governor Phil Bryant following the resignation of longtime Senator Thad Cochran, becoming the first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress.

Early life and education

Cindy Hyde was born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, and raised on her family's cattle farm in nearby Lincoln County. She attended Copiah–Lincoln Community College before earning a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. Her early life in agriculture deeply influenced her later political career and policy focus. After graduation, she worked in the private sector before entering public service.

Early career

Hyde-Smith's political career began in the Mississippi State Senate, where she represented the 39th district from 2000 to 2012. During her tenure, she served as chair of the Mississippi Senate Agriculture Committee and was a member of key committees including Appropriations. In 2011, she switched her party affiliation from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. Later that year, she was elected as the Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, taking office in January 2012 and overseeing the state's agriculture and consumer protection programs until 2018.

U.S. Senate

Hyde-Smith was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Governor Phil Bryant on April 9, 2018, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of Senator Thad Cochran. She won a special election in November 2018, defeating former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy in a runoff. In 2020, she was elected to a full six-year term, again defeating Espy. In the Senate, she serves on several influential committees including the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and the Committee on Rules and Administration. She is a staunch ally of the Trump administration and Senate Republican leadership.

Political positions

Hyde-Smith is a conservative Republican with a voting record aligned with the Congressional Republican Conference. She is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and has received an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association. On abortion, she is pro-life and co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act. She supports restrictive immigration policies, including funding for the Trump border wall. As a former agriculture commissioner, she is a vocal advocate for farmers and rural development, influencing legislation like the Farm Bill. She voted to acquit President Donald Trump in both his 2019 and 2021 impeachment trials and opposed the certification of the 2020 presidential election results from Pennsylvania.

Electoral history

In the 2011 election for Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, she won as a Republican. The 2018 U.S. Senate special election saw her place first in a nonpartisan jungle primary against candidates including Mike Espy and Chris McDaniel, leading to a runoff which she won with approximately 54% of the vote. She secured her first full term in the 2020 election, defeating Espy by a margin of roughly 10 percentage points. Her electoral victories have solidified Republican control of the Mississippi Senate seat previously held by Thad Cochran and Trent Lott.

Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:United States senators from Mississippi Category:Mississippi Republicans Category:Mississippi state senators Category:Female United States senators Category:University of Southern Mississippi alumni