Phil Bryant

Phil Bryant
64th Governor of Mississippi
Incumbent
Assumed office January 10, 2012
Lieutenant	Tate Reeves
Preceded by	Haley Barbour
31st Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
In office January 10, 2008 – January 10, 2012
Governor	Haley Barbour
Preceded by	Amy Tuck
Succeeded by	Tate Reeves
40th Auditor of Mississippi
In office November 1996 – January 10, 2008
Governor	Kirk Fordice Ronnie Musgrove Haley Barbour
Preceded by	Steven Patterson
Succeeded by	Stacey Pickering
Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives
In office 1990–1995
Personal details
Born	Dewey Phillip Bryant December 9, 1954 Moorhead, Mississippi, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Deborah Hays
Residence	Governor's Mansion
Alma mater	Hinds Community College University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi College
Religion	United Methodism

Dewey Phillip "Phil" Bryant (born December 9, 1954)^[1] is an American politician from the state of Mississippi who has served as the 64th Governor of Mississippi since 2012.^[2] He previously served as the 31st Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from 2008 to 2012 and as the 40th State Auditor of Mississippi from 1996 to 2008.

Bryant, a Republican, was elected as Governor in the 2011 gubernatorial election, defeating the Democratic nominee, Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree. He was reelected in the 2015 election, defeating truck driver Robert Gray.

Early life and education

Dewey Bryant was born in Moorhead, Mississippi, and raised in Sunflower County, Mississippi, in the Delta region. The son of Dewey C., a diesel mechanic,^[3] and Estelle R. Bryant, he grew up with two brothers.^[4] Bryant's family moved to Jackson where his father worked for Jackson Mack Sales^[5] and was later Service Manager there.^[6] Bryant studied first at Hinds Community College, and received an undergraduate degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. He subsequently earned a master's degree at Mississippi College, where he would later teach Mississippi Political History both before and during his first term as Governor of Mississippi.^[7] For the years leading up to his election as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, Bryant worked as an insurance claim investigator.^[8]

Career

Bryant in 2008

Following his election, Bryant served five years as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives. He was the Vice Chairman of the Insurance Committee. Notably, he sponsored the Capital Gains Tax Cut Act of 1992.

In 1996, he was appointed to be State Auditor by Republican Governor Kirk Fordice. Bryant was subsequently elected to a full term as State Auditor in November 1999 and re-elected in 2003.

In 2007, he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, defeating the Democratic Party candidate, State Representative Jamie Franks.

Governor of Mississippi

2011 election

Bryant won the Republican primary in the gubernatorial election in 2011. He defeated Democratic nominee Johnny DuPree on November 8, with 60.98% of the vote compared to DuPree's 39.0%.^[9] This was the first time since Reconstruction that Mississippi elected a Republican to succeed an outgoing Republican governor.

First term

On January 10, 2012, Bryant was sworn in as the 64th Governor of Mississippi. Former Republican State Chairman Jim Herring, a lawyer from Canton, headed the transition team.^[10] Once inaugurated, Bryant signed into law a bill requiring doctors at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at local hospitals in an attempt to "end abortion in Mississippi". The state has a single abortion clinic, served only by out-of-state doctors who lack in-state admitting privileges.^[11] Bryant faced against Democratic nominee Robert Gray in the 2015 gubernatorial election and won with over 66% of the vote. Bryant's election marked the first time since Reconstruction that a Republican had been elected to succeed another Republican as Governor.

In March 2012, Bryant endorsed Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate for the 2012 United States Presidential Election.^[12]

2015 re-election

Governor Bryant ran for re-election in 2015, facing off against Mitch Young in the Republican primary, carrying 91.7% of the vote.^[13] On November 5, Bryant faced the Democratic nominee, truck driver Robert Gray, winning with 66.6% of the vote.^[14] As Mississippi is one of the eight US states that have a two-term lifetime limit, he is ineligible to seek a third term in 2019.

Second term

In 2015, Phil Bryant refused to support legislation to change the Flag of the State of Mississippi to remove the Confederate battle saltire, even though some members of his party, like Mississippi's Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, publicly said the flag needed to change so that it could represent all Mississippians. Phil Bryant refused to accept this position, and in February 2016, he issued a proclamation declaring April, Confederate Heritage Month.^[15]

In March 2016, Bryant endorsed fellow Republican Ted Cruz for President of the United States.^[16]

HB-1523 controversy

On April 5, 2016, Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1523. HB-1523 allows government employees and private businesses cite religious beliefs to deny services to same-sex couples who want to marry.^[17] The Governor stated on Twitter that HB-1523, "merely reinforces the rights which currently exist to the exercise of religious freedom as stated in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."^[18]

The controversial new state law was described by the Human Rights Campaign as "allow[ing] individuals and organisations to use religion as a justification to refuse service to LGBT individuals" by, for example, denying them service. HB-1523 additionally allows foster parents to subject LGBT children to conversion therapy, a practice banned in several states.^[19] His actions faced condemnation from popular culture figures including Ellen DeGeneres ^[20] and Bryan Adams, who cancelled his Mississippi tour date in protest saying he could not “in good conscience” perform in a state where “certain people are being denied their civil rights due to their sexual orientation”.^[21] Bryant's decision to sign the bill into law has attracted some international criticism.^[22][23][24]

Personal life

He and his wife Deborah have two children, Katie and Patrick, and one grandson.^[25] They are members of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Brandon.^[25]

His wife Deborah Bryant had a professional career in hospital management at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, and is active in a number of health-related causes.^[26]

References

1. Who's Who In America-2009 (63 ed.). Marquis Who's Who. 2008.
2. "About Governor Bryant - Mississippi's 64th Governor, Phil Bryant". Governorbryant.com. 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 1, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
4. 1976 Jackson City Directory
5. 1971 Jackson City Directory
6. 1990 Jackson Suburban Directory
8. 1991 Jackson Suburban Directory
9. "Phil Bryant's Biography - The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
10. "James H. Herring". Hlclawfirm.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
12. March 8, 2012, 11:59 PM (2012-03-08). "Mississippi governor endorses Romney". CBS News. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
13. "2015 Republican Primary". Sos.ms.gov. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
14. "2015 General Election". Sos.ms.gov. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
15. "Mississippi Governor Declares April Confederate Heritage Month". jacksonfreepress.com. Retrieved Feb 25, 2016.
16. "Gov. Bryant endorses Cruz". Jackson Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
17. "Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant gets bill allowing denial of services to gays". Cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
18. "Mississippi governor signs law allowing service denial to gay couples". Cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
19. Lucy Westcott. "MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR PHIL BRYANT SIGNS ANTI-LGBT BILL INTO LAW". Europe.newsweek.com. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
20. "Ellen Perfectly Summed Up Mississippi's Anti-LGBT Law | Care2 Causes". Care2.com. 2016-04-11. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
21. Nigel M Smith. "Bryan Adams cancels Mississippi tour date in protest over anti-LGBT law | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
22. "Leading businesses take stand against states' new anti-LGBT laws | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
23. "New Anti-Gay Law Proves Mississippi Don't Know How to Read (the Bible)". Europe.newsweek.com. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
24. "Mississippi gov. signs law allowing service denial to gays - Business - NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
25. "Phil Bryant". Friends of Phil Bryant. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
26. "About-deborah-bryant". Mississippi First Lady. Retrieved 2016-04-28.

External links

• Governor Phil Bryant official Mississippi government website
• Phil Bryant for Governor
• Phil Bryant at DMOZ