He has been proclaimed the First Tea Party Governor. Thursday night Phil Bryant addressed Tea Party members at the Farmer's Market on High Street in Jackson.
Tea Party leaders say Bryant enjoyed their support during his campaign and they backed his platform. The event was a follow up to a meeting for the Mississippi Federation of Republican Women who met at the state capitol Thursday.
The Governor was asked if he felt being so closely tied to the Tea Party would alienate Mississippians who don't agree with their views on issues such as patriotism, immigration and abortion.
"I don't think so, I mean I'm a Republican, I'm a Methodist, I'm a dad, I was a Big Brother for many years, I've been on mission trips, I've been supporting the Tea Party. All of us have lots of things that we do in life, I can't imagine that it would," said Governor Bryant.
"I hope people can understand how important the legislative process is in the state. We cannot run on auto pilot any more. We have got to have the citizens informed and involved in the legislative process," Tea Party Chairman, Roy Nicholson said.
Tea Party members say they are hopeful citizens will work to preserve American freedoms because if not the train of government will continue to get bigger.
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