Elected and Appointed Government Officials

He’s been called “the last Democrat in Dixie.”  That’s not entirely true, but as the sole remaining statewide elected Democrat in Mississippi, it’s certainly lonelier than it used to be for Jim Hood.  Now in his fourth consecutive term as Attorney General after succeeding his mentor, Mike Moore, Hood’s name constantly comes up in any conversation involving Democrats running for higher office.

Hailing from Chickasaw County, Hood cut his teeth politically as a District Attorney and is pretty much a what-you-see-is-what-you-get politician.  There’s usually not much nuance to the statements he makes or the fights that he fights.  He has taken on Google, BP, State Farm and scores of drug, finance and insurance companies in litigation that have resulted in tens of millions of dollars in settlements for Mississippi.

But his passion seems to be more in the courtroom in death penalty cases and fighting crimes against the vulnerable.  Taking on cybercrime, online scammers, child pornographers, deadbeat dads and domestic violence will likely be the hallmarks of his terms as Attorney General.

If a Democrat is to win in Mississippi, it has to be a different breed.  Those around him seem to be clearing a political path for him to run for Governor in 2019.  The question now is, does he really want it?