Delbert Hosemann
Hosemann in 2019
33rd Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
Assumed office
January 14, 2020
GovernorTate Reeves
Preceded byTate Reeves
35th Secretary of State of Mississippi
In office
January 10, 2008 – January 14, 2020
GovernorHaley Barbour
Phil Bryant
Preceded byEric Clark
Succeeded byMichael Watson
Personal details
Born
Charles Delbert Hosemann Jr.

(1947-06-30) June 30, 1947 (age 76)
Vicksburg, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Notre Dame (BA)
University of Mississippi (JD)
New York University (LLM)

Charles Delbert Hosemann Jr. (born June 30, 1947) is an American politician serving as the 33rd lieutenant governor of Mississippi, since January 2020. From 2008 to 2020, he served as the secretary of state of Mississippi.

Early life

Hosemann was born in Vicksburg in western Mississippi. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1969 from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. In 1972, he earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law in Oxford, Mississippi. In 1973, he obtained specialization in Taxation at New York University. Hosemann lives in the capital city of Jackson, where he is a partner with Phelps Dunbar LLP.[1]

Secretary of State of Mississippi (2008–2020)

In the Republican primary election on August 7, 2007, Hosemann received 54 percent of the vote, defeating former mayor of Columbus Jeffrey Rupp and State Representative Mike Lott of Petal. In the general election on November 6, 2007, Hosemann defeated Democrat Robert Smith in the race for Secretary of State.[2] He became the first Republican Secretary of State for Mississippi since James Hill in 1878.

He took office on January 10, 2008,[3] succeeding Democrat Eric Clark. During the campaign, he took advantage of his unusual name in order to gain name recognition. A series of commercials showed an elderly woman talking about the good things he would do as Secretary of State, meanwhile forgetting his name as he tried to correct her. She typically used similar names such as Gilbert, Albert, Philbert, Dilbert, and Herbert. Since then, various public service messages, such as a reminder to go vote during election season, have included this format, the woman talking about the importance of voting, then mispronouncing Hosemann's name, then Hosemann correcting her and continuing the reminder.

The Mississippi Legislature had officially ratified the 13th Amendment in 1995, but the Secretary of State's office had failed to officially notify the National Archives at that time. Doctors Ranjan Batra and Ken Sullivan of the University of Mississippi Medical Center noticed the oversight in 2013 and informed Hosemann, who quickly submitted the appropriate documentation. This action made Mississippi the 36th and most-recent state to ratify the 13th Amendment.[4]

Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi (2020–present)

2019 Election

Hosemann ran for lieutenant governor of Mississippi in the 2019 Mississippi general election. In the Republican primary, he defeated Shane Quick and won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.[5] In the general election, Hosemann defeated Democrat Jay Hughes, a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives.[6] He was sworn-in to the office on January 14, 2020.[7]

During his run for lieutenant governor, he announced his plans, in which he told reporters that he wanted to increase teachers' pay, expand the learning program for pre-K students, and increase funding for special needs students. He also wanted to make career and technical training more available for high school students and jobs and skills training more available for prison inmates. He supported increased infrastructure spending while rejecting raising the gas tax.[8] He also wanted to reduce state agencies' spending and reinvest the cut spending into education and infrastructure, and he also wanted to raise state employees' pay.[9]

2023 Election

On November 7, 2023, Hosemann defeated his Democratic opponent Ryan Grover in the 2023 Mississippi lieutenant gubernatorial election, winning reelection for a second term.[10][11]

Political involvement

Hosemann was a candidate for election to the Mississippi's 4th congressional district in 1998.

After the resignation of Senator Thad Cochran in March 2018, it was speculated that Governor Bryant would name Hosemann as Cochran's successor,[12] but eventually Bryant appointed Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Cindy Hyde-Smith instead.

In 2018, at the Neshoba County Fair, Hosemann announced he would not seek re-election for Secretary of State in 2019.[13]

In 2019, Hosemann announced his candidacy for Lt. Governor.[14]

Personal life

Hosemann is married to Lynn L. Hosemann, and together they have three children.[15]

Electoral history

Mississippi Secretary of State Republican Primary Election, 2007
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Delbert Hosemann, Jr. 102,093 53.8
Republican Mike Lott 61,697 32.5
Republican Jeffrey Rupp 17,838 9.4
Republican Gene Sills 8,128 4.3
Mississippi Secretary of State Election, 2007
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Delbert Hosemann, Jr. 425,228 58.24
Democratic Robert "Rob" Smith 304,918 41.76
Mississippi Secretary of State Republican Primary Election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Delbert Hosemann, Jr. 231,077 83.36
Republican Ricky Dombrowski 46,114 16.64
Mississippi Secretary of State Election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Delbert Hosemann, Jr. 719,734 100.00
Mississippi Secretary of State Election, 2015
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Delbert Hosemann, Jr. 436,313 61.38
Democratic Charles Graham 253,307 35.64
Reform Randy Walker 21,165 2.98
Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Election, 2019
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Delbert Hosemann, Jr. 524,757 60.0
Democratic Jay Hughes 349,627 40.0
Mississippi Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election, 2023[16][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Delbert Hosemann, Jr.(incumbent) 478,525 61.5 N/A
Democratic Ryan Grover 300,118 38.5 N/A
Total votes 778,643 100.00
Republican hold

References

  1. ^ "Phelps Dunbar LLP: Attorney Profile". Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  2. ^ "Hosemann ready to get to work | clarionledger.com | The Clarion-Ledger". Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  3. ^ Byrd, Shelia (January 11, 2008). "7 statewide officials take oath of office". Hattiesburg American. pp. 3A, 9A.
  4. ^ Blum, Sam (February 18, 2013). "Mississippi ratifies 13th amendment abolishing slavery ... 147 years late". The Guardian. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  5. ^ Amy, Jeff (July 24, 2019). "Hosemann faces Quick in GOP lieutenant governor primary". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  6. ^ Zhu, Alissa (November 5, 2019). "Mississippi election: Delbert Hosemann wins race for lieutenant governor". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  7. ^ Pettus, Emily Wagster (January 10, 2020). "7 of 8 statewide officials inaugurated". The Greenwood Commonwealth. Associated Press. pp. 1, 12.
  8. ^ Harrison, Bobby (December 19, 2019). "Hosemann rejects statewide gas tax increase, looks to improve health care, provide teacher, state employee raises". Mississippi Today. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  9. ^ Bologna, Giacomo (January 7, 2020). "Mississippi Legislature: Here's what Delbert Hosemann plans to do as lieutenant governor". The Clarion Ledger. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Live Election Results 2023". www.nbcnews.com.
  11. ^ Tanneeru, Manav. "2023 Elections | CNN Politics". CNN.
  12. ^ "Sen. Thad Cochran is resigning — opening up another Republican seat this November". Vox. March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  13. ^ Ulmer, Sarah (August 2, 2018). "Delbert Hosemann at Neshoba: He won't be running for SOS again, but his name will be higher up on the ballot". Magnolia Tribune. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  14. ^ Harrison, Bobby (January 9, 2019). "Hosemann announces bid for lieutenant governor - 'where I can make the most difference'". Mississippi Today. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  15. ^ "Delbert Hosemann | clarionledger.com | The Clarion-Ledger". Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  16. ^ "Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Live Election Results 2023". www.nbcnews.com.
  17. ^ Tanneeru, Manav. "2023 Elections | CNN Politics". CNN.

External links

Party political offices Preceded byJulio Del Castillo Republican nominee for Secretary of State of Mississippi 2007, 2011, 2015 Succeeded byMichael Watson Preceded byTate Reeves Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi 2019, 2023 Most recent Political offices Preceded byEric Clark Secretary of State of Mississippi 2008–2020 Succeeded byMichael Watson Preceded byTate Reeves Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi 2020–present Incumbent
Lieutenant governors of Mississippi
Secretaries of State of Mississippi
Statewide political officials of Mississippi
Lieutenant governors in the United States
Presidents of state senates
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