[2][7] In 2011, Pickering received only third-party opposition as he defeated Reform Party nominee Ashley Norwood, 76 to 24 percent.

This appears to have been a game of smoke and mirrors, and a corporate entity that never had any intention to deliver on the promises it made.

[14][1] Pickering served as executive director of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board (MSVA) from 2018, when he replaced Randy Reeves, to 2022.

[14] Following the press release, WLBT News reported that Pickering resigned because he had an unprofessional relationship with his chief of staff.

[15][16] Subsequent analysis raised what a journalist called "significant questions about how the agency operated under Pickering, a former state auditor and legislator, and the workplace culture he cultivated.