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Elected and Appointed Government Officials 2017

Mississippi's Top 50 Most Influential

As Mississippians look to the political landscape in 2019, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann should figure prominently in the conversation for higher office.

Having taken office in 2007, Hosemann has been called “the most overqualified Secretary of State in Mississippi’s history.” Ushered in on a wave of good feelings from the “old lady on the park bench” TV ads, he’s capitalized on that quirky persona of a really smart and earnest, albeit kind of dorky guy.

His list of accomplishments in office has been extensive. From early victories like championing the metal theft bill to a massive overhaul of the office’s website to make records filings easier and more transparent, he started off on the right foot. The last few years have notably seen an overhaul in Mississippi’s limited liability company laws/policies as well as success in implementing Voter ID, assisting on redistricting and the rollout of the nationally recognized “Yallbusiness.com”. He’s accomplished the controversial without the legal entanglements that usually accompany big things.  And this past year, he’s rolled out “Y’all Vote”, his initiative to help voters check their voter registration online.

He’s got all of the ingredients for the next step – success at his current level, a high profile, a respectable campaign finance war chest and good people around him.  The question remains will he run for Lieutenant Governor, where he looks to be the early favorite, or something else?