Campaign Finance Allegations Shake Up Mississippi Republican’s Reelection Bid

File photo: Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) (L) in Washington on July 28, 2011. (House GOP)

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) has won the past six elections in Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District, but recent campaign finance allegations may shake up his reelection bid, with four Republicans vying to oust him in the 2022 primary.

In March 2021, the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) made public a report that suggested Palazzo “may have violated House rules, standards of conduct, and federal law.”

The OCE found evidence that Palazzo used campaign funds to maintain and improve a property he owned, may have spent campaign funds on personal expenses, may have asked official staffers to perform campaign and personal work during their workdays, may have spent congressional allowances on campaign or personal expenses, and may have used his position to ask for special treatment from the Navy for his brother, according to the report.

According to a 2020 report by the Campaign Legal Center, a left-wing watchdog group, Palazzo may have used campaign funds to pay himself nearly $200,000.

An investigation by the House Ethics Committee is ongoing. A spokesman for Palazzo told Mississippi Today last month that the allegations against him are politically motivated and that the congressman hopes the ethics committee will clear his name.

Palazzo serves on the House Appropriations Committee, which allocates federal spending.

It’s likely that the allegations against Palazzo will “evaporate” when this session of Congress ends, according to Kedric Payne, vice president of the Campaign Legal Center. Congress might neither clear nor punish Palazzo.

But he might face punishment from voters. This year, six candidates are running against him in the Republican primary.

Palazzo’s campaign platform supports pro-life policies, backing law enforcement, ending illegal immigration, decreasing flood insurance costs, lowering taxes, funding warship-building programs, and the Second Amendment.

Despite Palazzo’s standing as an established incumbent, Republican primary opponent Carl Boyanton has already out-fundraised him. His campaign lists Palazzo’s alleged ethics violations on his website.

“One of the main reasons I am running for Congress is because of the inept leadership and outright corruption we have in the swamp,” Boyanton wrote in a blog post. “It has been almost a year since the ethics committee found 6–0 that Congressman Steven Palazzo committed campaign finance violations.”

His platform supports term limits, pro-life policies, a balanced budget amendment, stopping illegal immigration, decentralizing government power, and decreasing the costs of college.

Another opponent, Clay Wagner, has raised nearly as much as Palazzo.

According to a Facebook post by Wagner, Palazzo has avoided candidate forums.

“Unsurprisingly, Congressman Palazzo failed to show up to this forum just like he failed to appear at the last one. We need a Congressman who shows up and gets the job done and I intend to do just that,” Wagner wrote.

He supports decreasing inflation, creating jobs, decreasing taxes, the Second Amendment, strengthening the military, promoting education, stopping illegal immigration, and giving power to the states.

Despite the fundraising successes of his opponents, January polling data from inside Palazzo’s campaign suggest that he started the race with a strong lead.

“Congressman Palazzo starts the race out with a whopping 65% of the vote. No other candidate even eclipses the double digit mark,” the poll reads.

Two Democratic candidates are running for their party’s nomination in the 4th Congressional District as well.

Democratic candidate David Sellers has raised $17,531 so far, and fundraising figures for Democratic candidate Johnny DuPree aren’t yet available.

The 4th Congressional District is extremely conservative, so both candidates are unlikely to win.

In the rest of Mississippi, elections are likely to go to the local incumbents. According to the Cook Political Report, the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts are all solidly conservative, while the 2nd is solidly Democratic.

Rep. Trent Kelly (R-Miss.) has held the 1st Congressional District since 2015. He supports a strong national defense, the Second Amendment, agriculture, decreased economic regulations, pro-life policies, and social security reform.

In the general election, he'll likely face either Democratic candidate Hunter Avery or Dianne Black.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) has held the 2nd Congressional District since 1993. He supports civil rights protections, government funding to strengthen the economy, increased educational standards, strengthening U.S. industry, renewable energy, and partial-birth abortion.

He'll likely face Republican candidate Brian Flowers in the general election.

Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) has held the 3rd Congressional District since 2019. He supports free-market policies, pro-life and pro-Second Amendment laws, and stronger border security.

He'll face lone Democratic candidate Shuwaski Young in the general election.