"In 2007, Mississippians hired me to serve as Secretary of State. Currently in my third term, I am now running for Lieutenant Governor because I believe we can make our State an even better place for our children and grandchildren by tackling tough issues like the economy, education, infrastructure, and healthcare together.
As Secretary of State, I have been committed to operating our agency from the citizen-up by timely providing taxpayers with the services they need while eliminating waste. This year, despite increasing the number of services we provide over time, our budget request is less than the budget with which we started.
During my tenure, among other platform promises we fulfilled, we have worked hard to:
• Oversee the implementation of a constitutional Voter ID law to secure elections. Mississippi’s Voter ID requirement remains unchallenged in court, which is unprecedented across the country.
• Reform 16th Section land leasing practices to end sweetheart deals on acreage which helps fund our public schools. When I leave office, we will have raised about $1 billion in 16th Section revenue, all of which has been allocated to public education.
• Update our archaic business laws to spur economic growth. Businesses can now fulfill their legal obligations to open in a matter of minutes online, and our annual report filing fees are the lowest in the country.
We also worked hard on other challenges which unexpectedly crossed our path, including increasing the availability of quality treatment and insurance coverage for autism and other developmental disabilities.
Raised in Warren County, Mississippi, I spent most of my professional career as a businessman and tax lawyer. I am a former partner of Phelps Dunbar, LLP. I have an undergraduate degree in business from Notre Dame, a law degree from Ole Miss, and a Master of Laws in Taxation from New York University. I also served my country in the United States Army Reserves.
When not in the Office or visiting with constituents out in the State, I enjoy spending time with my family, including our Labrador retriever, Tucker, and hunting and running. In the past, I completed both the New York Marathon and Boston Marathon.
My wife, Lynn, and I have been married for 48 years; we live in Jackson and are members of Saint Richard. We have three children and seven grandchildren. There is no place we would have rather raised them than right here in Mississippi."
Why are you running for Lt. Governor?
"With three children and seven grandchildren, Mississippi’s future is continually on my mind. I want to make our State an even better place to raise our families, engage in meaningful work for a meaningful wage, and enjoy our State’s diverse land, regions, culture, and heritage.
The issues which closely impact these goals — business growth, education, infrastructure, and healthcare — are best addressed by one of the State’s top policymakers: the Lieutenant Governor, who sets the agenda for the Legislative Session.
As Secretary of State, I have a record of getting things done and a history of bringing all to the table. With your help, and by applying the same principles of commitment to this new role, I believe we can make a difference in our great State together from the Lieutenant Governor’s Office.
Our top priorities for the future include:
• Small business growth. When a small business with 50 employees opens up shop, it can transform a community. The same transformation occurs when an existing business expands, offering a few more good paying jobs to skilled workers. We will focus on cultivating our small businesses, the backbone of our economy.
• Quality public education. All our children deserve the opportunity to receive a quality education preparing them life after high school, even if they do not immediately go to college. We want to start earlier with 4-year-old pre-K, emphasize career and technical classes, and meet the needs of our teachers, our No. 1 educational resource.
• Solid Infrastructure. Despite some strides in the last session, potholes, road closures, and barricaded bridges are still plaguing communities across Mississippi. We will prioritize solidifying our infrastructure to safely transport our children to school, our people to work, and our products to market.
• Healthcare access. Fifty percent of Mississippians live in rural areas, and 50 percent of our rural hospitals are in danger of closing. We will focus on attracting more healthcare professionals to the state and finding innovative solutions to shore up struggling healthcare providers.
• Government efficiency. Sometimes we need government to solve a problem, but most of the time, we just need it to get out of the way. We want to restructure state government to be taxpayer focused and to eliminate waste.
For more information about our campaign, please visit www.delberthosemann.com, or send me an e-mail at delbert@delberthosemann.com. Serving Mississippi has been and continues to be the privilege of a lifetime, and I look forward to earning your vote in the August 6 Republican Primary and the November 5 General Election!"
