New report from the Mississippi Free Press documents Hyde-Smith’s votes to block transparency and anti-corruption measures as FEC records confirm nearly a dozen Las Vegas trips billed as “travel”
Revelation builds on recent reporting from Mississippi Today that first detailed Hyde-Smith’s lavish campaign spending
District Attorney Colom: “Mississippians deserve a senator who will fight for them, not one who serves herself”
Columbus, MS — With one day until Mississippi voters head to the polls, a new report from the Mississippi Free Press adds a devastating layer to weeks of damning coverage of Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith’s campaign finances: the same senator who billed her campaign account nearly $10,000 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas also voted to block the very transparency and anti-corruption laws that would have strengthened public scrutiny of exactly that kind of spending.
Last week, Mississippi Today first reported that Hyde-Smith’s campaign had funded what observers described as nearly a dozen luxury trips to Las Vegas — with FEC records showing charges at properties including The Venetian and MGM Grand — and an accompanying account alleging that Hyde-Smith’s family joined her on many of these trips. Now, the Mississippi Free Press has documented two votes Hyde-Smith took in the Senate that deepen the story considerably. In 2022, Hyde-Smith voted to block a bill that would have banned foreign entities from making campaign donations to U.S. candidates, as well as strengthened disclosures on campaign expenditures and political advertisements. Then, in 2025, she voted against a measure to ban members of Congress and their spouses from trading individual stocks. Taken together, these votes demonstrate how Hyde-Smith has repeatedly acted to weaken the accountability measures that govern how campaign money is raised and how it’s spent.
FEC records reported by the Mississippi Free Press confirm $9,104.93 charged to the MGM Grand Las Vegas in December 2023, described only as “travel.” The report also details how Hyde-Smith’s own state director documented at least six trips to Las Vegas with the senator for the National Finals Rodeo, including a December 2023 post in which he recounted touring the Grand Canyon and meeting celebrities alongside “Senator Hyde-Smith’s family.” The picture that emerges across multiple weeks of independent reporting is of a senator who has used donor money — much of it raised from Washington lobbyists — to fund a pattern of luxury travel, while simultaneously voting down the transparency tools that might have shed light on it.
"Cindy Hyde-Smith tells Mississippi families who are already paying record prices for beef to stop eating it and 'choose' cheaper proteins — but then bills nearly $10,000 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to her campaign account. The record also shows she voted to protect the loopholes that made it possible. Mississippians deserve a senator who will fight for them, not one who serves herself," said District Attorney Scott Colom.
Read highlights from the Mississippi Free Press reporting BELOW:
Mississippi Free Press: Hyde-Smith GOP Opponent Sarah Adlakha Vows to Tackle Corruption if Elected to US Senate
Heather Harrison
March 5, 2026
- U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith voted to block a 2022 bill that would’ve banned foreign entities from making campaign donations to U.S. candidates and that also would have strengthened disclosures on campaign expenditures and political advertisements.
- During a 2025 Senate Rules and Administration Committee meeting, the senator also voted against a measure that proposed banning Congress members and their spouses from trading individual stocks.
- Sarah Adlakha chastised Hyde-Smith for taking large sums in campaign dollars from Washington lobbyists and for using campaign donations on travel-related expenses, claiming these expenses included a dozen trips to Las Vegas, luxury resorts, 5-star hotels, expensive meals and entertainment.
- Several of Hyde-Smith’s Las Vegas trips involve her and her staff attending the National Finals Rodeo, as documented by her state director, Umesh Sanjanwala, via Facebook posts from 2021, 2023 and 2025. He posted a recap of his sixth National Finals Rodeo trip to Las Vegas with the senator on Dec. 11, 2023, in a now-archived Facebook post.
- An FEC disbursement from Dec. 22, 2023, shows that the senator spent $9,104.93 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The description of the disbursement says “travel.”
→ Read the full Mississippi Free Press report HERE.
