The Mississippi Economic Council’s annual Hobnob will be returning to the capital city this week, allowing the public to engage with both elected officials and aspiring politicians.
On Thursday, October 31, folks will gather at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson for a friendly exchange of handshakes and conversations with leading figures in the state.
“It’s always a fun event. It’s where we kind of relax a little bit with a major meeting,” Mississippi Economic Council President and CEO Scott Waller said. “We have it aptly named, in my opinion, because we get to hear from statewide leaders and they’re going to talk about what’s going on in their area.”
As the audience hears speeches from a multitude of state officials not up for re-election this year, there will be two office-seekers delivering remarks. Incumbent Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican, and his Democratic challenger Ty Pinkins are both scheduled to appeal to the crowd as we near the November 5 general election.
“Hobnob has been structured through the years to be just a few days before the election,” Waller said. “Any of the major election things that are taking place, we try to highlight those.”
As things stand, the following speakers are set to take the main stage:
- U.S. Senator Roger Wicker
- Candidate for U.S. Senate Ty Pinkins
- Mississippi State Auditor Shad White
- Mississippi State Treasurer David McRae
- Mississippi Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann
- Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch
- Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson
- Mississippi Speaker of the House Jason White
- Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Brad White
In addition, the Mississippi Economic Council will be celebrating the 50th year of its Leadership Mississippi program. A group featuring former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour as the keynote panelist will speak on how the program has positively impacted the state. The panel will begin at 10:30 a.m.
The first round of political speeches will begin at 9:35 a.m., and the final round will start after the leadership panel.
More information about this year’s Hobnob can be found here.
