Thank you, Thank you, Mr. Chief Justice; Lieutenant Governor; Mr. Speaker; Governor Musgrove; Governor Huckabee; Senator Cochran; Senator Lott; members of the congressional delegation; Secretary Paige.

Fellow state officials, members of the Legislature, friends, family, and fellow Mississippians.

My cousin William read from the Bible that the heart, that my heart should be in the hands of the Lord. A little bit later Derrick Burt will sing “Praise our Faithfulness” as he reminds us of God’s faithfulness to us, and yesterday prayed for us to be faithful to him and his word in the four years to come.

The people of Mississippi can bestow no greater honor on one of its sons or daughters than to elect him governor. I’m deeply honored to serve as your governor, and I’m also humbled I’m humbled by the enormous trust you’ve placed in me. I’ll do my utmost to be deserving of that trust.

But I’ll tell you truly, I’m even more grateful for the opportunity to work with you to give our people, our families, our children the future they deserve. Working together, I know we will do better.

I’d be remiss not to recognize and thank the many thousands of volunteers and donors who supported my campaign many of you are here today. Nobody has ever been elected to any office by himself, and I am certainly not an exception. It was the army of grass-roots volunteers, from Biggersville to Bay St. Louis, whose efforts led to the largest turnout ever in a Mississippi governor’s race. And that turnout was the key to our victory.

I appreciate every volunteer but the most important volunteer, my strongest ally and asset, to whom I owe the most, not just in the election but for 32 years of being the best helpmate anyone could ever have: Thank you, Marsha.

Thank you. Allow me to recognize Governor Ronnie Musgrove. Just a few weeks ago we were engaged in a close race; a hard, tough campaign. Since election day, Governor Musgrove and his staff have been both cooperative and gracious. Ronnie, Marsha and I and everybody working with us, appreciate your help and we’re looking forward to working with you in the days ahead for the good of Mississippi.

As Governor Musgrove’s attitude emphasizes, the election is over and, as we go forward, this is not about party or politics. It’s about solving problems and taking advantage of opportunities. As elected officials, we serve not as Republicans or Democrats, but as public servants whose fellow Mississippians have elected us to move our state forward. We’re not here to represent black or white, urban or rural, north Mississippi or south Mississippi. And let me say to you: My job is to represent the hundreds of thousands of people who voted for Ronnie Musgrove just as much as it is to represent the ones who voted for me, and I am committed to that proposition.

The best way to fulfill that commitment is to establish and maintain a strong, positive, effective working relationship with the Legislature and with our other state officials.

Just as nobody ever got elected by himself, no one can govern by himself.

Solving problems and seizing opportunities require team work.

My daddy died when I was two-years-old, and my mama raised my two older brothers and me. They are both sitting up here with Marsha and me today. We played team sports, while mama ran the concession stand at the Little League field and served as the first woman president of the Touchdown Club. We learned about playing for the team, about fair play and about supporting our teammates.

Well, governing requires teamwork, too. And I’m glad we’re all on the same team.

I pledge to you to be a good teammate and a strong leader for our team.

Beginning with the transition that we’re just now completing. And with last month’s Job Creation Summit, I have sought the participation and counsel of you in the Legislature and of other state and local officials.

Speaker McCoy and Lieutenant Governor Tuck, I want to thank you for your help and efforts, and I want you to know that a large number from both houses have actively participated in the transition and the Jobs Summit. To all of you, I appreciate and will benefit from your input and counsel; and I know, working together, we’ll get the job done.

We do face major challenges. Our state has serious problems we must understand and then address.