The Jackson County Sheriff will be the Republican nominee in November to face Democrat DuPree and Libertarian Johnson.
The longest currently serving Republican Congressman in Mississippi was defeated in the GOP Primary Runoff Election Tuesday night.
Fourth District Congressman Steven Palazzo, who won the seat in 2010 when he defeated longtime Democrat incumbent Gene Taylor, was unable to overcome the anti-incumbent tide sweeping through South Mississippi.
Palazzo finished first in the 7-man Primary on June 7th pulling in 32% with Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell winning 25% and forcing a runoff.
Days after the primary, all five of the other challengers endorsed Ezell over Palazzo and worked together to push the Sheriff out front across the district.
Palazzo’s campaign attempted to correct its missteps in the primary by challenging Ezell to a debate, having been labeled as a “No Show” by his challengers for missing previous forums during the primary. While most pundits believed Palazzo won that debate, the groundswell against him was already too great to overcome, along with his being plagued with an ongoing House Ethics inquiry over the use of campaign funds.
Ezell moves on to face Democrat nominee Johnny DuPree and Libertarian Alden Johnson in the November Midterm General Election. Ezell will be the odds-on favorite as the 4th District is by and large a conservative base.
Frank Corder
