Hale served as an alderman of
Senatobia, Mississippi, from 1989 to 1993. Hale won the Democratic Primary, defeating Michael Cathey, on August 2, 2011. Hale then defeated
Republican Vann Branch in the general election on November 8, 2011; Hale received 12,846 votes, or 63%, while Vann received 7,530 votes, or 37%. During his term, Hale was the vice chair of the Economic Development Committee, and was a member of the following other committees: Accountability, Efficiency, and Transparency; Education; Finance; Investigate State Offices; Judiciary A; and Universities & Colleges. Hale ran for re-election for the same district in 2015 for the
2016–2020 term. He lost the Democratic Party primary to Senator
Bill Stone, with Hale receiving 3,922 votes or 42.2% of the vote, and Stone receiving 5,364 votes or 57.8% of the vote. == Personal life ==