Cindy Hyde-Smith
Republican junior Senator of Mississippi
Senator
Mississippi
April 9, 2018 - November 27, 2018
Senator
Mississippi
November 28, 2018 - January 3, 2021
Senator
Mississippi
January 3, 2021 - January 3, 2027
5
Congresses Served
3
Senate Terms
January 1, 1959 (65 years old)
Birthday
- Served as the junior United States senator from Mississippi since 2018
- Previously served as the Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce and a member of the Mississippi State Senate
- Initially elected to the Mississippi State Senate as a Democrat before switching to the Republican Party in 2010 due to her conservative beliefs
- Became the first woman elected Mississippi agriculture commissioner in 2011 and was reelected in 2015
- Appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2018, becoming the first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress
- Won a special runoff election in 2018 to continue serving in the U.S. Senate
- Attended a segregation academy in her youth and graduated with degrees from Copiah–Lincoln Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi
- Worked as a lobbyist before entering politics, focusing on issues like highway safety and healthcare coverage
- Has a conservative voting record, including support for Second Amendment rights, opposition to abortion, and advocacy for the state’s defense business
- Voted to confirm Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett
- Participated in the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count debate and objected to the certification of Arizona’s electoral votes
- Opposes the Affordable Care Act and supports repealing it while maintaining protections for preexisting conditions
- Voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the 2021 United States Capitol attack
- Expressed opposition to the For the People Act, citing concerns over voter identification laws and voting on Sundays
- Describes her economic positions as fiscally conservative and supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
- Co-sponsored legislation related to agriculture, including the Transporting Livestock Across America Safely Act and the Agricultural Trucking Relief Act
- Opposed to the creation of human-animal chimeras, as stated in a speech on the Senate floor
- Personal opposition to same-sex commitment ceremonies as Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, but allowed them after consulting with the state attorney general
- Voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which codifies same-sex marriage rights into federal law
- Has made controversial statements and actions related to Confederate symbols and history