Hyde-Smith, Cindy (1959-…), became a member of the United States Senate in 2018. Hyde-Smith, a Republican from the Southern State of Mississippi, was appointed to the position after Senator Thad Cochran resigned for health reasons. Hyde-Smith had previously served as Mississippi commissioner of agriculture and commerce. She is the first woman to represent Mississippi in either chamber of the U.S. Congress. 
Cindy Hyde was born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, on May 10, 1959. She attended Copiah-Lincoln Community College and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1981. She married Michael Smith, a cattle farmer.
In 1999, Hyde-Smith, running as a member of the Democratic Party , was elected to the Mississippi state Senate. She was reelected in 2003 and 2007. As a state senator, she served as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. In 2010, she changed her party affiliation to Republican. In 2011, she became the first woman elected Mississippi agriculture and commerce commissioner. She took office in 2012 and was reelected in 2015.
In March 2018, Senator Cochran, citing health concerns, announced that he would be stepping down from his Senate seat in April. Governor Phil Bryant appointed Hyde-Smith to fill the seat until a special election was held that November. Hyde-Smith received the most votes among the candidates in the special election. Because no candidate received at least 50 percent of the vote, however, Hyde-Smith faced Democrat Mike Espy in a December run-off election. Hyde-Smith defeated Espy. In 2020, she defeated Espy in a campaign for a full Senate term. As a senator, Hyde-Smith has served on the committees on agriculture, nutrition, and forestry; appropriations; energy and natural resources; and rules and administration.
