Jackson, MS – Mike Hurst, Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, announced today that the MSGOP’s State Central Committee recently confirmed new staff and leadership team members for the MSGOP.

New MSGOP Vice-Chairwoman Lesley Davis is the Founder and President of Mississippi Advocacy Group, LLC, a public policy and governmental affairs firm. She previously served as the Interim CEO and President of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. Lesley has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Mississippians, a 2023 Rankin County Republican Woman Leader of the Year, awards from the Mississippi Federation of Republican Women for her legislative work, and the sole recipient of the national 2022 Delta Gamma Leadership Shield Award. She received her law degree from The University of Baltimore School of Law, and afterwards served as a law clerk to the Honorable Arlin M. Adams, United States Office of Independent Counsel in Washington D.C., and was subsequently hired as a Staff Associate Prosecuting Attorney in the Independent Counsel’s Office. She later worked as a partner in a Baltimore law firm. She received her undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University, where she served as Executive Director of the College Republicans, President of the Pre-Law Society, Student Association Attorney General, and MSU Director for future U.S. Senator Trent Lott’s first senatorial campaign.

New MSGOP Treasurer Spencer Ritchie is a lawyer with Forman Watkins in Jackson, Mississippi. As a former Executive Director of the Mississippi Republican Party, Spencer brings great wisdom and experience to his new role. A graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law as well as an undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University, Ritchie previously worked on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Congressman and also clerked for two federal judges. He is a former member of the Mississippi Ethics Commission, as well as the Mississippi Secretary of State Election Law Reform Study Group and the Board of Advisors for the United States Election Assistance Commission, serves on the Advisory Council of Downtown Jackson Partners, is the Chairman of the Hinds County Republican Party Executive Committee, and served in 2019 and 2023 as Hinds County Co-Chair for Tate Reeves for Governor.