Cindy Hyde-Smith

Cindy Hyde-Smith is a Republican politician who has served as the junior United States Senator from Mississippi since 2018. Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, she earned an Associate of Arts from Copiah-Lincoln Community College and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern Mississippi. Before her federal career, she served in the Mississippi State Senate from 2000 to 2012, originally as a Democrat before switching to the Republican Party in 2010. Following her tenure in the state legislature, she was elected as the Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, serving from 2012 until 2018. Hyde-Smith made history as the first woman to hold that office and later as the first woman to represent Mississippi in the United States Congress. In April 2018, Governor Phil Bryant appointed her to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Thad Cochran. She subsequently won a special election in November 2018 to complete the term and was elected to a full six-year term in 2020. In the Senate, she has held assignments on the Committees on Appropriations, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Rules and Administration, where she has focused on rural development, agricultural policy, and infrastructure.

Senator Hyde-Smith maintains a consistently conservative policy platform. On economic issues, she supports low taxes, the reduction of federal regulations, and fiscally conservative budgeting, having supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. She is a prominent advocate for the agricultural industry, focusing on crop insurance, market access for farmers, and food safety standards. Regarding social issues, she is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment and holds a 100 percent pro-life voting record, currently serving as the chair of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus. Her stance on healthcare involves supporting patient-centered reforms and the repeal of the Affordable Care Act in favor of market-based competition. On immigration, she emphasizes border security, including the construction of a wall and increased enforcement of federal laws. In terms of energy and the environment, she advocates for domestic energy production and energy independence, often supporting the expansion of fossil fuel resources while seeking to limit federal environmental mandates.