Hosemann, the chief election official in Mississippi is a majorstay of political gossip. He could be a lieutenant governor candidate in 2019. The Clarion-Ledger reported over the weekend that Hosemann, 70 years old, made the announcement to a group from Mississippi’s public schools that he would be running for the post. Hosemann, who was speaking at Monday’s luncheon for Capitol press corps, joked that he didn’t think he could trust 10-year-olds. He then said that he believes that he has achieved his goals as secretary to state. This office oversees elections and securities, as well business regulations. “Y’all hired us to do the business law. I was hired by Y’all to update the 16th section of land. We’ve done it. (Voters) hired us to update 16th section land; that’s been done. There was a lot of things I set out to do and I believe I have done them all. It’s now that it’s time to hire someone else to be secretary of state,” Hosemann, a Republican, stated when asked by a reporter about his political future. I still have great interest Mississippi. I am particularly interested in education and a well-educated workforce. Hosemann was first elected secretary of state in 2007. He ran in the 1990s for a U.S. House Seat and his name has been mentioned as a possible candidate for a Congressional seat, as well as as a replacement for U.S. Senator Thad Cochran if he becomes incapacitated or steps down. Cochran, who was a senator since 1976, announced recently that he would be stepping down from the Senate on April 1, due to health reasons. This would allow Gov. Phil Bryant will name a temporary replacement for Cochran and call a special session later in the year. This is likely to be in November. Hosemann stated that he is focusing on strengthening his agency’s protections against attacks. Hosemann stated that Mississippi was attacked unsuccessfully 2,000 times during 2016’s election campaign. He expressed concern that Russia and other hackers might increase their efforts to hack the mid-term elections. His office has increased security, adding that it has encrypt data, installed firewalls, and hired consultants to verify the integrity of the election system. The hackers have not been successful, he stated. Hosemann stated that although he is concerned about Mississippi’s electoral system safety, there is an even greater threat. The biggest threat is not that you (hackers) change one ballot, but that you change the perception of the election. Hosemann explained to reporters that hackers don’t change one ballot, but that they change the perception of it. “The greatest defender of this is a free press that preserves its integrity. If citizens don’t trust you and you become biased in any way, we’ll lose the foundation of fair elections. “So y’all got big jobs.”