Chris Caughman

Christopher D. "Chris" Caughman

* * *

Mississippi State Senator for
District 35 (Copiah, Rankin, and Simpson counties)

Incumbent
Assumed office
January 2016
Preceded by  |  Perry E. Lee
Succeeded by  |

* * *

Born  |  October 14, 1967
Citizenship  |  American
Political party  |  Republican
Spouse(s)  |  Melissa Hilton Caughman
Children  |  Cade, Abby, and Bryce Caughman
Residence  |  Mendenhall
Simpson County
Mississippi
Alma mater |  Simpson Academy

Copiah-Lincoln Community College
Belhaven University
University of Mississippi School of Banking

Occupation  |  Banker
Religion  |  Southern Baptist

Christopher D. Caughman, known as Chris Caughman (born October 14, 1967), is a bank vice president from Mendenhall, Mississippi, who has since 2016 represented District 35 in the Mississippi State Senate. The district embraces Copiah, Rankin, and Simpson counties in the suburban area south of the capital city of Jackson in the south central portion of his state.[1]

Caughman was educated at the private Simpson Academy in Mendenhall, the Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Mississippi, and Belhaven University, a private Christian liberal arts institution in Jackson from which he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1989. He is also a graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Banking at Oxford. A former teacher and basketball coach,[2] he is the senior vice president of People's Bank in Mendenhall. He is a Baptist. He and his wife, the former Melissa Hilton, have three children.[1]

In the 2015 Republican primary election in Senate District 35, Caughman defeated two intra-party rivals, Cliff Brown and Lisa Stanley. He polled 6,138 (56.8 percent) to Brown's 3,155 (29.2 percent) and Stanley's 1,509 (14 percent). He was then unopposed in the November 3 general election.[3] [4] The position opened when Republican Senator Perry E. Lee did not seek reelection.[5]

Caughman is vice chairman of the Senate Education Committee and sits on these committees as well: (1) Agriculture,(2) Business and Financial Institutions, (3) Finance, (4) Investigate State Offices, (5) Medicaid, (6) Public Health and Welfare, (7) Universities and Colleges, and (8) Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.[2]

In 2016, Senator Caughman voted to prohibit state funds to the large abortion provider, Planned Parenthood. He supported the bill to guarantee within Mississippi protections for religious beliefs and matters of moral conscience. In 2017, he co-sponsored the prohibition against local governments pursuing sanctuary city policies. He supported the legislation which authorizes additional methods of execution in Mississippi and co-sponsored the measure to declare as a hate crime the targeting of law-enforcement officers by the lawless element. He voted to retain a private contractor to audit Medicaid.[6]

## See also[edit]

Other Mississippi Republican state senators (incomplete listing):

* Dennis DeBar
* Sally Doty
* Joey Fillingane
* Angela Hill
* Billy Hudson
* Dean Kirby
* Philip Moran
* Joseph Seymour
* Michael Watson
* Charles Younger

## References[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chris Caughman. Billstatus.ls.state.ms.us. Retrieved on October 17, 2017.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chris Caughman's Biography. Retrieved on October 17, 2017.
3. ↑ Chris Caughman. Ballotpedia.org. Retrieved on October 17, 2017.
4. ↑ General election returns. Mississippi Secretary of State (November 3, 2015). Retrieved on October 17, 2017.
5. ↑ General election returns. Mississippi Secretary of State (November 8, 2011). Retrieved on October 17, 2017.
6. ↑ Chris Caughman's Voting Records. Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on October 17, 2017.