Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant Appoints Cindy Hyde-Smith to U.S. Senate

BROOKHAVEN, MISS. – Wednesday afternoon in the City of Brookhaven, Miss., in front of more than 100 people Governor Phil Bryant appointed Cindy Hyde-Smith to be Mississippi’s first female U.S. Senator, replacing retiring Sen. Thad Cochran.

“For this occasion, I would say to Senator Cochran as the master said to the servant, ‘well done my true and faithful servant,’ well done Thad Cochran,” Bryant said during his announcement. “My fellow Mississippians please help me welcome the United States Senator for Mississippi, our dear friend Cindy Hyde-Smith.”

“It was really hard to give up the Commissioner of Agriculture position because obviously that's been my life and my love,” Hyde-Smith said. “You just have to be submissive, and if you want to be in the center of God's will you have to be submissive. I look forward to it, I’m very anxious and eager to get to D.C.” The beef cattle farmer from Brookhaven is no stranger to Mississippi politics. She served as a state senator for a number of years as a Democrat before switching parties in 2010 and running for Agriculture Commissioner. “I hope I can inspire young people to work hard to achieve their goals because the American dream is alive and well in Mississippi,” Hyde-Smith said. Hyde-Smith aims to be the just the 6th U.S. Senator to represent Mississippi in the past 71 years. When asked about her expected opponent, Sen. Chris Mcdaniel, Hyde-Smith did not have much to say. “You know qualifying hasn't even gotten here yet. So, we don't know how many will be in there. So, I think it's just a little preliminary to address those right now,” Hyde-Smith replied. However, Sen. McDaniel doesn't think so, releasing a statement earlier saying… “Today, I was troubled to learn that Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant dutifully followed the orders of the Washington establishment’s Mitch McConnell by appointing Cindy Hyde-Smith to fill the temporary vacancy created by Senator Thad Cochran’s retirement,” McDaniel’s statement read. However, Hyde-Smith seems to be prepared to face adversity. “Cause we're going to have some rough days ahead, but you know what? That's okay,” Hyde-Smith said during her acceptance speech. A race seems to be brewing in the Republican Party as Sen. Thad Cochran is expected to step down April 1, setting off a special election that will happen in November.