Former state representative and House Minority Leader Bobby Moak of Bogue Chitto will be the new chairman of the Mississippi Democrat Party.

The party announced Saturday that Moak was elected to replace Rickey Cole, who said earlier this year he would not seek the post again.

Moak, 57, an attorney with a private practice in Bogue Chitto, served in the House of Representatives for 32 years. He lost his reelection bid in the 2015 state elections to Republican Vince Mangold in November.

He said being party chairman will allow him to speak on a lot of issues important to Mississippi Democrats.

“It will be a little different than having a legislative seat, because now I’ve got a small army of about half a million folks who espouse to be Democrat,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to get the message out there and to awaken them as to what’s really going on with their government.”

Moak said one of his first tasks will be recruiting for municipal elections. He’d like to see the party sweep elections again and “take out incumbent Republicans.”

Some of Moak’s accomplishments as a legislator were construction of Lake Okhissa in Franklin County, the law following Hurricane Katrina that allowed casinos to be constructed within 800 feet of the coast and a grant to repave the roads in Bogue Chitto.