About Cindy

U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is a public servant committed to conservative principles as she works for all Mississippians.  She is the first woman elected to represent Mississippi in Washington, D.C.  She won a six-year term in November 2020, following her April 2018 appointment to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by long-time U.S. Senator Thad Cochran and subsequent November 2018 special election victory to complete his term.

In the 119th Congress, Hyde-Smith serves on a number of key Senate committees, including the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and the Committee on Rules and Administration. 

As Senator, Hyde-Smith is a leading voice for Mississippians, working to improve the state’s economy and quality of life.  She has used her committee roles to support policies and legislation that benefit both the state and nation.  Her successful efforts in the legislative process include championing initiatives that support economic growth in Mississippi, including fighting for the state’s agricultural sector, infrastructure development, job training and educational programs, rural healthcare, energy development, shipbuilding industry, and defense and aerospace sectors.

The first bill she introduced as a Senator in 2018—the Migratory Bird Framework and Hunting Opportunities for Veterans Act to extend duck season to January 31 and establish a special weekend for youth, veterans, and active military—ultimately became law in March 2019 as part of a larger legislative package.  Senator Hyde-Smith remains a strong advocate for defending the constitutional Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

In her role on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, Hyde-Smith has worked diligently to secure funding and resources for key priorities in Mississippi.  Her efforts have centered around shipbuilding, defense, agriculture, rural health, small business, transportation infrastructure, flood control and disaster response, and other priority issues. 

As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Hyde-Smith is a leading voice for American agriculture and rural communities.  She worked successfully to secure emergency assistance for the economically-strapped agricultural sector in the American Relief Act, 2025.  Having influenced the crafting and passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which included provisions she authored pertaining to rural economic development, better crop insurance for flood-prone regions, Chronic Wasting Disease research, and forest health, Senator Hyde-Smith is now dedicated to the passage of a 2025 Farm Bill to update the nation’s policies to meet current challenges to agriculture.

In early 2019, Senator Hyde-Smith took decisive action to address the catastrophic flooding in the Yazoo Backwater Area, eventually helping to get the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to agree on a final plan to finally move toward construction of a flood control project first authorized in 1941.  Hyde-Smith is committed to continuing to work on the backwater pumps issue, including securing funding for Corps of Engineers build and maintain its extensive flood control projects throughout Mississippi.

A committed social conservative, Hyde-Smith continues to lead the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, fighting to protect the sanctity of life and opposing efforts to expand mail-order abortions.

Hyde-Smith established herself as a leader in support for rural healthcare, helping to secure funding to support rural hospitals and resources to expand telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries.  She led the successful bipartisan effort to establish an Office of Rural Health within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Senator Hyde-Smith has toiled to address the serious health issues affecting many Mississippians, advocating for better treatments and support for juvenile diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. 

Prior to becoming a U.S. Senator for Mississippi, Hyde-Smith served as the Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, elected in 2011 and reelected in 2015.

As Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, Hyde-Smith worked to ensure fairness and equity in the marketplace and protect Mississippians through sound regulatory practices.  Highlights of her tenure were her efforts to reopen foreign markets for American beef exports, advocate for country-of-origin food labeling, and ensure that imported catfish meet USDA food safety standards.  Under her leadership, the department was recognized as a “model agency” for effectiveness and budget control.  Hyde-Smith held agency spending growth to less than two percent her entire tenure.

Before leading the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, Hyde-Smith served 12 years in the Mississippi State Senate, including eight years as chairman of the Agriculture Committee.  As a legislator, Hyde-Smith championed policies to promote and protect all facets of the agriculture industry.  She fought to protect private property rights, supported tort reform, and earned respect for her advocacy of conservative budget and pro-business initiatives.

As a U.S. Senator, Hyde-Smith has received the Award for Conservative Achievement from the American Conservative Union Foundation, the Spirit of Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Champion of Small Business Award from the National Federation of Independent Business.  Among other commendations, the National Rural Health Association gave the Senator its Rural Health Champion Award, and she received National Legislator of the Year honors from the Mississippi Rural Health Association. 

Additionally, Hyde-Smith has received the Friend of the Farm Bureau Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Agricultural Legislator of the Year Award from the Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts, the Ambassador Award from the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, the Achievement Award from Delta Council, and the Outstanding Service to Small Farmers Award from Alcorn State University.

Hyde-Smith is a graduate of Copiah-Lincoln Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Hyde-Smith and her husband Mike have a daughter, Anna-Michael.  They reside in Brookhaven and are active members of Macedonia Baptist Church.  A fifth-generation farming family, the Senator’s family raises beef cattle and are partners in a local stockyard auction market in Brookhaven.