Ezell unseats Palazzo, Guest fends off Cassidy in Mississippi midterm runoffs

 U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo’s loss appears to be the initially time an incumbent U.S. Residence member has shed a bash principal election in Mississippi due to the fact 1962.

U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, representing Mississippi’s 4th District, grew to become the to start with incumbent congressman to drop in a get together most important in modern condition background when he was defeated Tuesday by Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell in the Republican primary runoff.

An additional incumbent congressman, Michael Guest of the 3rd District in central Mississippi, easily survived a runoff challenge from former Navy pilot Michael Cassidy in the Republican primary.

In the west Mississippi 2nd District runoff Tuesday, Brian Bouquets defeated Ronald Eller and will operate in the November election versus incumbent Democrat Bennie Thompson, the state’s only African American U.S. House member.

Incumbents Visitor and Palazzo were forced to runoff elections since neither garnered a bulk vote in the first main previously this thirty day period.

Guest, a previous district lawyer symbolizing Madison and Rankin counties in suburban Jackson, actually trailed Cassidy, a marketing campaign amateur, in the 1st main vote.

But in the runoff, the Republican institution and the Visitor campaign, which seemingly experienced underestimated Cassidy, waged an intensive campaign, very easily outdistancing Cassidy. Late Tuesday with effects continue to coming in, Guest had a commanding 67% to 33% lead more than Cassidy.

Palazzo did not have identical achievements in the runoff. In late results, Ezell experienced a 54% to 46% guide over the incumbent.

The Involved Press called both races late Tuesday.

Ezell in his campaign experienced hit Palazzo on a prolonged-running criticism the 12-year incumbent has confronted: That he is inaccessible to constituents and typically absent from the district or in Congress. Palazzo also has been below a Dwelling ethics investigation around allegations he utilized campaign and congressional cash for own expenses.

In 2010 Palazzo was a member of the point out House symbolizing Harrison County when he was a shock applicant against incumbent Democratic Congressman Gene Taylor. Most gave Palazzo very little likelihood of upending the extended-time incubent Taylor, considered as a fixture in Gulf Coast politics.

But Palazzo took gain of the historic Republican wave in 2010 to upset Taylor.

Palazzo’s reduction appears to be the 1st time an incumbent U.S. House member has dropped a get together key election in Mississippi considering the fact that 1962. In that year incumbent Jamie Whitten defeated fellow incumbent Frank Smith in the Democratic most important immediately after they ended up positioned in the exact same district following Mississippi shed a Residence seat.

In the 3rd District, Cassidy ran as a Donald Trump conservative, but Visitor attacked his conservative principals in late marketing campaign ads. Cassidy, a Lauderdale County resident, experienced touted on his marketing campaign website web page several social expending systems, such as a universal overall health care proposal. Cassidy afterwards renounced those courses, but not prior to offering Visitor campaign fodder.

Cassidy attacked Guest as a “Republican in title only” and for voting for the proposed Jan. 6 Fee to investigate the attacks on the U.S. Capitol. Trump opposed the commission.

In the November typical election, Visitor will experience Democrat Shuwaski Youthful. Ezell will face Democrat Johnny DuPree and Libertarian Alden Johnson.

— Short article credit score to Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender of Mississippi Nowadays —