28 Facts About Mike Espy

Alphonso Michael Espy was born on November 30,1953 and is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 25th United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1993 to 1994.

Mike Espy was both the first African American and first person from the Deep South to hold the position.

In March 2018, Mike Espy announced his candidacy for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Thad Cochran.

Mike Espy was defeated by Hyde-Smith, but garnered more than 46 percent of the vote in what was the closest US Senate election in Mississippi since 1988.

Mike Espy was the Democratic nominee again in the 2020 election, losing by ten percentage points against Hyde-Smith in a rematch.

Mike Espy is the grandson of Thomas J Huddleston Sr.

Mike Espy attended Howard University in Washington, DC, and was active in student politics, holding several elective positions.

Mike Espy earned his Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law in California in 1978.

Mike Espy currently serves on the board of directors of the Mississippi Center for Justice.

Mike Espy was an attorney with Central Mississippi Legal Services between 1978 and 1980 and was later the Assistant Secretary of State to Mississippi Legal Services.

Mike Espy was an Assistant State Attorney General from 1984 to 1985.

In November 1986, Mike Espy was elected as a Democrat to the 100th Congress from.

In December 1992, Mike Espy was chosen by President-elect Bill Clinton to be the Secretary of Agriculture in the new administration.

The first African American and first person from the Deep South to hold the position, Mike Espy served as Secretary of Agriculture from 1993 to 1994.

Mike Espy announced his resignation in October 1994, following questions from the White House over his use of government perks and acceptance of gifts.

Mike Espy was indicted in 1997 for receiving improper gifts, but acquitted of all 30 charges in 1998.

In October 2007, Mike Espy crossed party lines to endorse Republican Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour's reelection campaign.

One of his notable cases was the Pigford lawsuit, where Mike Espy worked in conjunction with a black farmers advocacy group, the National Black Farmers Association, to represent those farmers.

Mike Espy announced his intention to run for the seat that same day, becoming the first declared candidate in the race.

Mike Espy has identified his positions as moderate, making a centrist pitch for his Senate campaign.

Three days after losing the Senate special election runoff to Hyde-Smith, on November 30,2018, his 65th birthday, Mike Espy filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for the seat again in 2020.

In 2018, Mike Espy said that he wanted to cut the government's budget and that he supports free trade.

Mike Espy said he probably would have voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 but that he wants to "make sure people see the benefits".

Mike Espy believes that the decision by Republicans to deny an expansion of Medicaid is why so many rural hospitals in Mississippi have closed.

In 1986, running for Congress, Mike Espy was considered pro-choice on abortion.

Mike Espy refused to plea bargain and on December 2,1998, he was acquitted of all 30 criminal charges in the trial.

Administration officials said that the discovery of this scholarship was what forced Mike Espy to resign as Secretary of Agriculture.

Mike Espy married Sheila Bell, with whom he had two children before they divorced.