Hyde-Smith for Secretary of Agriculture?

• The junior Mississippi U.S. Senator is said to be on the radar for a possible Trump Cabinet pick should the former President win re-election in November.

Former President Donald Trump is likely to draw from Republican allies currently serving in Congress to fill Cabinet positions should he win back the White House in November. Mississippi’s junior U.S. Senator is said to be among those in consideration.

According to sources in attendance at the recent Republican National Convention, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith’s name is being floated as a possible Trump pick for Secretary of Agriculture. She has been a strong supporter of the former President and is said to have a good relationship with Trump.

“Given her background, she would make a great Secretary of Agriculture and it would be good to have a Mississippian in that position,” a source within the Republican Party told Magnolia Tribune on the condition of anonymity. “President Trump likes her a lot and if Cindy wants it, he would surely entertain the idea.”

The former President has actively campaigned for and endorsed Hyde-Smith in her past elections.

Whether or not Hyde-Smith would take the appointment if asked is unknown. Should Republicans win the majority in the Senate come November, Hyde-Smith would be in line for key committee assignments, adding to her influence in the chamber. But as sources noted, “Trump is hard to turn down.”

Adding to the political math is the fact the Hyde-Smith is up for re-election in 2026.

If Hyde-Smith were to be appointed as Trump’s Agriculture Secretary, she would be only the second female to hold the office. The first was Ann Veneman from California appointed by former President George W. Bush.

During his first term, Trump appointed former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue as Secretary of Agriculture. Perdue, who was only the second Ag Secretary from the “Deep South,” served throughout the former President’s term.

The other former Secretary of Agriculture from the South was Mike Espy, a former Mississippi Congressman who served in the position under President Bill Clinton in the early 1990s. Notably, Hyde-Smith defeated Espy twice in U.S. Senate elections in 2018 and 2020.

What Makes Hyde-Smith a Natural Fit as Ag Secretary?

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.

During her tenure in the Mississippi Legislature, Hyde-Smith chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee for eight years and was intricately involved in pro-tort reform, pro-business, anti-abortion and anti-eminent domain legislation.

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 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.

Hyde-Smith 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.

Since being elected to the U.S. Senate, Hyde-Smith has served on the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Committee on Rules and Administration. She currently chairs the Senate’s Pro-Life Caucus.

The first bill Hyde-Smith introduced as a Senator in 2018 was 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. It became law in March 2019.

Hyde-Smith played a key role in crafting and passing the 2018 Farm Bill and is again helping develop the next Farm Bill. She is also involved in legislation to support rural healthcare, agriculture producers, food banks, and small businesses.

Other Senators Mentioned as Possible Trump Cabinet Picks

Hyde-Smith joins other fellow Republican U.S. Senators being mentioned as possible Trump Cabinet picks including Tennesse Senator Bill Hagerty, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Senator Eric Schmitt.

According to a report from The Hill, Hagerty could be a possible pick for Treasury Secretary or Secretary of State, while Rubio is seen as a possible head of the CIA, Director of National Intelligence, or Secretary of State.

Cotton is viewed as a strong option for Secretary of Defense, with Tuberville could be a possibility for Secretary of Education.

Scott is mentioned as an option for Health and Human Services or Housing and Urban Development Secretary, and Schmitt is said to be a possible Attorney General pick.