Elected and Appointed Government Officials 2017

Being in the minority party in a legislative body with a super majority ain’t easy.  But Representative Jay Hughes has evolved to be one of the more forceful voices on policy in the Mississippi House of Representatives.  Jay claims his political party is Mississippi and his color is purple. He tries to practice daily what he preaches: “It ALL starts with education!”

He is real estate attorney, businessman and volunteer in his hometown of Oxford, having served as an Alderman before being elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 2015, for District 12, Lafayette County.

Jay and his wife are active in public education and they were jointly awarded Citizen of the Year for 2012 by the Oxford School District. He has also served on the Board of the Whirlpool Foundation Sons & Daughters Scholarship, as well as being a former Alderman, current state legislator, and serving on the board of directors for several corporations. Most recently, he received the Transparency Award from Families As Allies, and the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Mental Illness.

With the Democratic Party largely wandering in the political wilderness in statewide races in Mississippi, Hughes is emerging as a party leadership figure that may be on a ballot for higher office in 2019.