President Donald Trump listens during a roundtable discussion on the First Step Act, Monday, Nov. 26, 2018, in Gulfport, Miss. at left is Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon - Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
- Hyde-Smith has an opponent in the mid-term election. For the third time in as many years, Democrat Ty Pinkins is a candidate again, having lost bids for Senate and Secretary of State.
President Donald Trump (R) rolled out a number of mid-term endorsements on Wednesday night across social media, with Mississippi U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith among those receiving the president’s backing.
“Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is 100% MAGA, and doing a fantastic job representing the Incredible People of Mississippi!” Trump wrote. “An Original Member of my Mississippi Leadership Team, Cindy has been with us from the very beginning. In the Senate, Cindy is fighting hard to Secure our Border, Grow the Economy, Champion our Amazing Farmers and American Agriculture, Support our Brave Military/Veterans, Promote Energy DOMINANCE, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”
President Trump went on to say, “Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
The state’s junior senator has received Trump’s backing in her previous campaigns as well.
Mississippi’s Senate seat is one of 35 seats in the chamber up for election in the 2026 cycle, which includes special elections in Florida and Ohio. Of those, 23 are currently held by Republicans, meaning Democrats would need to win a net of four seats to take control of the Senate majority in 2027.
2026 mid-term taking shape
Hyde-Smith has already drawn an opponent in the 2026 mid-term elections.
For the third time in as many years, Ty Pinkins, a Democrat, has announced another run for office in the Magnolia State.
Pinkins, an U.S. Army veteran and attorney, began running for U.S. Senate in 2022 against U.S. Senator Roger Wicker but suspended his announced campaign in 2023 to become the replacement candidate for the Democratic Party in the Secretary of State’s race.
Pinkins lost that statewide race by nearly 20 points and then reengaged in his Senate bid, where he went on to lose to Wicker by nearly 25 points.
Hyde-Smith has a significant lead in the campaign finance arena over Pinkins, with the latest campaign finance report from December 2024 showing her with nearly $477,000 cash on hand compared to Pinkins’ $5,600.
About Hyde-Smith
Hyde-Smith, 65, comes from a fifth-generation farming family that raises beef cattle and are partners in a local stockyard auction market. She served as Mississippi’s Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner for nearly two terms before being appointed by former Governor Phil Bryant (R) to fill the U.S. Senate seat held by former Senator Thad Cochran who stepped down in 2018.
Hyde-Smith served in the Mississippi Senate for three terms, running and winning as a Democrat in 1999, 2003, and 2007. She switched to the Republican Party in 2010, citing her conservative values as being pro-life, pro-family, pro-business and pro-Second Amendment.
She ran for Agriculture Commissioner in 2011 as a Republican, winning the race to become the first female to hold the office in state history. Under her leadership, the department was recognized as a “model agency” for effectiveness and budget control.
Hyde-Smith went on to win re-election as Ag Commissioner in 2015, and three years later was appointed to the U.S. Senate, again making state history as the first female to hold a federal office from Mississippi.
She won the 2018 special election to fill the unexpired U.S. Senate term, defeating former Agricultural Secretary Espy, a Democrat, in a runoff election by nearly 8 points. Hyde-Smith then won a full six-year term in 2020, again defeating Espy by 10 points.
Following the 2024 election, Hyde-Smith was rumored to be among the names Trump was considering for Secretary of Agriculture. While she said she was honored to be mentioned as a potential nominee for the post, her plans were to remain in the Senate “and continue to deliver for the people of Mississippi.”
In this 119th Congress, Hyde-Smith serves on a number of 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.
