Mississippi's First Female Senator, A Republican, Takes Office Needing To Win Over Her Own Party

Mississippi's new senator is making a name for herself in the state's history books as the first woman to represent the Magnolia State on the Hill.

Cindy Hyde-Smith landed the spot as Mississippi's junior senator last month, when Gov. Phil Bryant, also a Republican, appointed her to fill the vacancy left by Sen. Thad Cochran's retirement. The appointment came in spite of calls from GOP leaders, including President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, for Bryant to appoint himself, according to The Washington Post.

Cochran retired after a 40-year career for health reasons and officially left on April 1. Hyde-Smith was sworn in Monday by Vice President Pence.

The Senate Hyde-Smith is joining has more women than ever before. She brings the count to 23 — a record.

The former Democrat enters office and steps onto the campaign trail at the same time as she will be fighting to maintain her appointed Senate seat in November. In fact, she got a campaign website before an official Senate site.

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