PBS: Rep. Michael Guest, Sheriff Mike Ezell win Mississippi runoffs

June 28, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sheriff Mike Ezell has defeated six-term U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo in a Republican primary runoff in Mississippi.


It’s a rare defeat of a congressional incumbent in a Mississippi party primary. The state has a history of sending elected officials to Washington for decades to build seniority.


Ezell criticized Palazzo after a 2021 report by the Office of Congressional Ethics found “substantial reason to believe” Palazzo had abused his office by misspending campaign funds. A Palazzo spokesperson said the investigation was based on “false allegations” made by an opponent in the 2020 primary.


Ezell is a sheriff in one of Mississippi’s coastal counties, and he started campaigning for the 4th District seat more than a year ago. He called Palazzo a no-show for skipping debates before the seven-person Republican primary in early June.


Palazzo is a military veteran who unseated a Democratic congressman in 2010.


In November, Ezell will face Democrat Johnny L. DuPree and Libertarian candidate Alden Patrick Johnson.


The congressional runoffs are rare. The Associated Press researched state records dating back 70 years, to 1952, and found that no U.S. representative from Mississippi had been in a party primary runoff during that time.


https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/mississippi-congressman-who-backed-jan-6-panel-wins-runoff

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