Cindy Hyde-Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cindy Hyde-Smith
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Official portrait, 2021
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| United States Senator from Mississippi |
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| Assumed office April 2, 2018 Serving with Roger Wicker
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| Preceded by | Thad Cochran |
| 7th Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce | |
| In office January 10, 2012 – April 1, 2018 |
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| Governor | Phil Bryant |
| Preceded by | Lester Spell |
| Succeeded by | Andy Gipson |
| Member of the Mississippi State Senate from the 39th district |
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| In office January 4, 2000 – January 10, 2012 |
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| Preceded by | W. L. Rayborn |
| Succeeded by | Sally Doty |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Cindy Hyde
May 10, 1959 Brookhaven, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (2010–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (until 2010) |
| Spouse |
Michael Smith
(m. 1996) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Copiah–Lincoln Community College (AA) University of Southern Mississippi (BA) |
| Website | |
Cindy Hyde-Smith (born May 10, 1959) is an American politician. She has been a U.S. Senator for Mississippi since 2018. Before becoming a senator, she worked as a lobbyist. She was also the Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce for Mississippi from 2012 to 2018. From 2000 to 2012, she served in the Mississippi State Senate.
Cindy Hyde-Smith was born in Brookhaven, Mississippi. She is a member of the Republican Party. She was the first woman to be elected as Mississippi's agriculture commissioner. She also made history as the first woman to represent Mississippi in the U.S. Congress.
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Early Life and Education
Cindy Hyde-Smith was born in Brookhaven, Mississippi. She grew up in Monticello, Mississippi. She went to Lawrence County Academy. This school was created during a time when some schools separated students by race. The school's team mascot was "Col. Reb" and it used a Confederate flag.
Hyde-Smith earned a degree from Copiah–Lincoln Community College. She then got a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. Her studies were in criminal justice and political science. She is one of the few U.S. senators who attended a community college. After college, she worked as a lobbyist. She worked for groups that supported safer highways and healthcare.
Serving in the Mississippi State Senate
Cindy Hyde-Smith was a member of the Mississippi Senate from 2000 to 2012. She represented the 39th District. During her time there, she led the Senate Agriculture Committee. This experience helped her later run for agriculture commissioner.
She supported conservative ideas in the state Senate. Many of the bills she worked on became law. She supported collecting DNA samples from people in custody. ..... This bill passed but was later overturned by a federal court.
In 2010, Cindy Hyde-Smith changed her political party. She switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. She said her conservative beliefs were the reason for this change.
First Elections to the State Senate
Cindy Hyde-Smith first ran for the Mississippi Senate in 1999. She won against a long-time politician in the Democratic primary. She then won the general election with a large number of votes.
She was re-elected in 2003 and 2007. In 2003, she won the Democratic primary again and was unopposed in the general election. In 2007, she won the Democratic primary without an opponent. She then defeated her Republican challenger in the general election.
Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce
In 2011, Cindy Hyde-Smith decided to run for Mississippi's Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce. She won the Republican nomination. Then, she won the general election. This made her the first woman to hold this important position. She started her term in January 2012.
As commissioner, she worked on several important issues. In 2012, she helped farmers deal with a large insect problem. The insects were damaging cotton crops. She got approval for an emergency plan to help farmers.
In 2013, she helped get funding for a big project. This project was to renovate the Mississippi Coliseum. She was recognized for her work on this project.
She was re-elected as commissioner in 2015. She won by a significant margin. She started her second term in January 2016.
Becoming a U.S. Senator
In March 2018, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant chose Cindy Hyde-Smith to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat. The previous senator, Thad Cochran, had resigned due to health issues. Cindy Hyde-Smith officially became a senator on April 2, 2018. She was the first woman to represent Mississippi in the U.S. Congress. She took her oath of office on April 9, 2018.
She then decided to run for election to keep the seat. The special election was held in November 2018.
U.S. Senate Elections
2018 Special Election
In the 2018 special election, Cindy Hyde-Smith faced other candidates. Former President Donald Trump supported her campaign. .....
She did not debate her main opponent, Mike Espy, before the first election. After the first election, neither candidate won more than 50% of the votes. This led to a runoff election. She then agreed to debate Espy before the runoff.
During the runoff campaign, some of her comments caused controversy. One comment was about attending a "public hanging." This remark was criticized because of Mississippi's history of violence against African Americans. She said her comment was just an "exaggerated expression." Another video showed her saying it would be "a great idea" to make it harder for some people to vote. Her campaign said she was joking.
Reports also noted that she attended a school that was created to avoid racial integration. She also sent her daughter to a similar school.
Despite the controversies, Cindy Hyde-Smith won the runoff election on November 27, 2018. She defeated Mike Espy.
2020 Election
In January 2020, Cindy Hyde-Smith ran for a full term as senator. She won the Republican primary without opposition. In the general election, she again defeated Mike Espy. She won by a margin of ten percentage points.
Time as a Senator
As a U.S. Senator, Cindy Hyde-Smith has voted on many important issues. She voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
On January 6, 2021, she was at the U.S. Capitol when it was stormed by supporters of former President Trump. She and other senators were moved to a safe place. She later said she was afraid and called the rioters "criminals."
Senate Committees
Cindy Hyde-Smith serves on several important Senate committees:
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
- Committee on Appropriations
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Committee on Rules and Administration
Political Views
Hyde-Smith describes herself as a conservative Republican. She was a Democrat until 2010. She said she was a "conservative Democrat" during her time in the state legislature.
She has voted with Donald Trump's political views most of the time. She has also voted with President Joe Biden's views some of the time.
Voting and Elections
In 2021, Hyde-Smith opposed a bill that would expand voting rights. She said it would harm voter identification laws in Mississippi. She also spoke against allowing people to vote on Sunday.
Money and Economy
Hyde-Smith believes in fiscally conservative policies. This means she generally supports lower government spending. She supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. This law cut taxes for many people and businesses.
She has supported bills to help farmers and truckers. For example, she supported a bill to make it easier for livestock haulers to rest during long trips. She also supported a bill to help the trucking and farming industries.
Healthcare
Hyde-Smith does not support the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). She believes it has not worked well for Mississippi. She wants to repeal it. However, she says she supports keeping parts of the law that protect people with existing health conditions.
She has also supported bills to improve palliative care. This is special care for people with serious illnesses. She also supported funding for Community Health Centers. These centers provide healthcare to many Americans.
Social Issues
In 2018, Hyde-Smith supported a travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority countries. Her campaign website says she supports building a wall on the southern U.S. border.
In 2012, she was against a same-sex commitment ceremony at a state-owned museum. However, she allowed it after talking with the state's Attorney General. In 2022, she voted against the Respect for Marriage Act. This law protects same-sex marriage rights across the country.
Confederate History
In 2007, Hyde-Smith voted for a resolution that praised a Confederate States Army soldier. She also suggested naming a state highway after Confederate President Jefferson Davis. In 2014, she posted a photo of herself at Davis's home. She was wearing a Confederate cap and holding a rifle. Her caption said, "Mississippi history at its best!"
Donald Trump
Hyde-Smith voted to acquit President Donald Trump in both of his impeachment trials. This means she voted that he was not guilty of the charges against him.
Personal Life
Cindy Hyde-Smith is married to Mike Smith, who is a cattle farmer. They are members of the Macedonia Baptist Church. They have one daughter.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2021
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Smith as Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce
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Vice President Mike Pence swears in Smith at the Old Senate Chamber in 2018
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Hyde-Smith during the 115th United States Congress
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Hyde-Smith during the 117th United States Congress
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Hyde-Smith and Brett Kavanaugh in July 2018
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Hyde-Smith with President Donald Trump, Susie Wiles, and fellow female Republican senators, January 2025
