Mississippi's 4th Congressional District

Mississippi's 4th Congressional District

Incumbent

Mike Ezell

Assumed office: January 3, 2023

Mississippi's 4th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives is represented by Mike Ezell (R).

As of the 2020 Census, Mississippi representatives represented an average of 740,979 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 744,560 residents.

Elections

• 2030
• 2028
• 2026
• 2024
• 2022
• 2020
• 2018

See also: Mississippi's 4th Congressional District election, 2030

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

See also: Mississippi's 4th Congressional District election, 2028

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

See also: Mississippi's 4th Congressional District election, 2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Mississippi District 4

Incumbent Mike Ezell (R), Paul Blackman (D), and John Mills (R) are running in the general election for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Mike Ezell (R)
	Submit photo	Paul Blackman (D)
	Submit photo	John Mills (R)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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See also: Mississippi's 4th Congressional District election, 2024

General election

General election for U.S. House Mississippi District 4

Incumbent Mike Ezell (R) defeated Craig Raybon (D) in the general election for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Ezell (R)	73.9	215,095
		Craig Raybon (D)	26.1	75,771

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 290,866
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4

Craig Raybon (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 on March 12, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Craig Raybon	100.0	9,720

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,720
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4

Incumbent Mike Ezell (R) defeated Carl Boyanton (R) and Michael McGill (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 on March 12, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Ezell	73.3	52,028
		Carl Boyanton	18.9	13,432
		Michael McGill	7.7	5,493

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 70,953
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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See also: Mississippi's 4th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Mississippi District 4

Mike Ezell (R) defeated Johnny DuPree (D) and Alden Johnson (L) in the general election for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Ezell (R)	73.3	127,813
		Johnny DuPree (D)	24.6	42,876
		Alden Johnson (L)	2.0	3,569

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 174,258
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Graham Hudson (Independent)
• Aaron Lee (Independent)

Republican primary runoff

Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Mississippi District 4

Mike Ezell (R) defeated incumbent Steven Palazzo (R) in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Ezell	53.8	31,225
		Steven Palazzo	46.2	26,849

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 58,074
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4

Johnny DuPree (D) defeated David Sellers (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Johnny DuPree	84.9	9,952
		David Sellers	15.1	1,766

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,718
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steven Palazzo	31.5	16,387
✔		Mike Ezell	25.0	13,020
		Clay Wagner	22.5	11,698
		Brice Wiggins	9.3	4,859
		Carl Boyanton	6.2	3,224
		Raymond Brooks	4.6	2,405
		Kidron Peterson	0.9	449

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,042
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Louis Hook (R)

Libertarian Party primary

The Libertarian Party primary scheduled for June 7, 2022, was canceled. Alden Johnson (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 without appearing on the ballot.

See also: Mississippi's 4th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Mississippi District 4

Incumbent Steven Palazzo (R) won election in the general election for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steven Palazzo (R)	100.0	255,971

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 255,971
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for March 10, 2020, was canceled.

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4

Incumbent Steven Palazzo (R) defeated Robert Deming (R), Samuel Hickman (R), and Carl Boyanton (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 on March 10, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steven Palazzo	66.8	54,318
	Submit photo	Robert Deming	14.1	11,463
	Submit photo	Samuel Hickman	9.8	7,981
		Carl Boyanton	9.3	7,533

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,295
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Mississippi, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Mississippi District 4

Incumbent Steven Palazzo (R) defeated Jeramey Anderson (D) and Lajena Sheets (Reform Party) in the general election for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steven Palazzo (R)	68.2	152,633
		Jeramey Anderson (D)	30.7	68,787
	Submit photo	Lajena Sheets (Reform Party)	1.0	2,312

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 223,732 (100% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• William Turner (Independent)

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4

Jeramey Anderson (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeramey Anderson	100.0	14,560

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 14,560
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4

Incumbent Steven Palazzo (R) defeated E. Brian Rose (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 4 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steven Palazzo	70.5	30,270
		E. Brian Rose	29.5	12,664

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 42,934
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Previous election results

2016

See also: Mississippi's 4th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Steven Palazzo (R) defeated Mark Gladney (D), Richard Blake McCluskey (L) and Shawn O'Hara (Reform) in the general election. Each ran unopposed in their respective primaries.

U.S. House, Mississippi District 4 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Steven Palazzo Incumbent	65%	181,323
	Democratic	Mark Gladney	27.8%	77,505
	Libertarian	Richard Blake McCluskey	5.3%	14,687
	Reform	Shawn O'Hara	1.9%	5,264
Total Votes				278,779
Source: Mississippi Secretary of State

2014

See also: Mississippi's 4th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 4th Congressional District of Mississippi held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Steven Palazzo (R) defeated challengers Matt Moore (D), Joey Robinson (L), Sarge Jackson (RP), Cindy Burleson (I) and Ed Reich (I) in the general election.

U.S. House, Mississippi District 4 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Steven Palazzo Incumbent	69.9%	108,776
	Democratic	Matt Moore	24.3%	37,869
	Libertarian	Joey Robinson	2.2%	3,473
	Reform	Eli Jackson	0.6%	917
	Independent	Cindy Burleson	2.4%	3,684
	Independent	Ed Reich	0.6%	857
Total Votes				155,576
Source: Mississippi Secretary of State Official Results

General election candidates

• Steven Palazzo - Incumbent a
• Matt Moore
• Joey Robinson
• Sarge Jackson
• Cindy Burleson
• Ed Reich

June 3, 2014, primary results

Republican Primary

• Steven Palazzo - Incumbenta
• Tom Carter
• Ron Vincent
• Gene Taylor
• Tavish Kelly

Democratic Primary

• Trish Causey
• Matt Moorea

2012

See also: Mississippi's 4th Congressional District elections, 2012

The 4th Congressional District of Mississippi held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012.Incumbent Steven Palazzo won re-election in the district.

U.S. House, Mississippi District 4 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Matthew Moore	28.8%	82,344
	Republican	Steven Palazzo Incumbent	64.1%	182,998
	Libertarian	Ron Williams	0.7%	2,108
	Reform	Robert W. Claunch	6.3%	17,982
Total Votes				285,432
Source: Mississippi Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Primary results

Republican Primary

Mississippi's 4th Congressional District Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Steven Palazzo Incumbent	73.9%	60,349
Ron Vincent	18.7%	15,308
Cindy Burleson	7.4%	6,038
Total Votes		81,695

Democratic Primary

Mississippi's 4th Congressional District Democratic Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Michael Herrington	83.8%	8,863
Jason Vitosky	16.2%	1,708
Total Votes		10,571

2010
On November 2, 2010, Steven Palazzo (R) won election to the United States House. He defeated Gene Talyor (D), Anna Revies (Reform) and Kenneth Hampton (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Mississippi District 4, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Steven Palazzo	51.9%	105,613
	Democratic	Gene Taylor incumbent	46.8%	95,243
	Reform	Anna Jewel Revies	0.4%	787
	Libertarian	Kenneth "Tim" Hampton	0.9%	1,741
Total Votes				203,384

2008
On November 4, 2008, Gene Taylor won re-election to the United States House. He defeated John McCay III (R) in the general election.

U.S. House, Mississippi District 4 General Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Gene Taylor incumbent	74.5%	216,542
	Republican	John McCay III	25.5%	73,977
Total Votes				290,519

2006
On November 7, 2006, Gene Taylor won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Randy McDonnell (R) in the general election.

U.S. House, Mississippi District 4 General Election, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Gene Taylor incumbent	79.8%	110,996
	Republican	Randy McDonnell	20.2%	28,117
Total Votes				139,113

2004
On November 2, 2004, Gene Taylor won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Michael Lott (R) and Tracella Lou O'Hara Hill (Reform) in the general election.

U.S. House, Mississippi District 4 General Election, 2004
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Gene Taylor incumbent	64.2%	179,979
	Republican	Michael Lott	34.5%	96,740
	Reform	Tracella Lou O'Hara Hill	1.3%	3,663
Total Votes				280,382

2002
On November 5, 2002, Gene Taylor won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Karl Clevelend (R), Thomas Huffmaster (Reform) and Wayne L. Parker (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Mississippi District 4 General Election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Gene Taylor	75.2%	121,742
	Republican	Karl Cleveland	21.2%	34,373
	Reform	Thomas Huffmaster	1.5%	2,442
	Libertarian	Wayne L. Parker	2%	3,311
Total Votes				161,868

2000
On November 7, 2000, Ronnie Shows won re-election to the . He defeated Dunn Lampton (R), Ernie John Hopkins (L) and Betty Star (Reform) in the general election.

U.S. House, Mississippi District 4 General Election, 2000
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Ronnie Shows incumbent	58.1%	115,732
	Republican	Dunn Lampton	39.8%	79,218
	Libertarian	Ernie John Hopkins	1.3%	2,580
	Reform	Betty Star	0.8%	1,504
Total Votes				199,034

District map

Redistricting

2020-2021

See also: Redistricting in Mississippi after the 2020 census

Gov. Tate Reeves (R) signed the state's congressional redistricting plan—House Bill 384—on January 24, 2022. The state House of Representatives approved the plan, 75-44, on January 6, 2022, with 73 Republicans, one Democrat, and one independent voting in favor and 41 Democrats, two Republicans, and one independent voting against. The state Senate approved the new congressional map, 33-18, on January 12, 2022, with all votes in favor by Republicans and 16 Democrats and two Republicans voting against. The Mississippi Joint Legislative Committee on Redistricting approved the proposal on December 15, 2021.

After the state Senate approved the plan, Lee Sanderlin wrote in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, “The bill preserves the current balance of congressional power in Mississippi, keeping three seats for Republicans and one for lone Democrat Bennie Thompson, D-Bolton.” Sanderlin also wrote, "This is the first time since the 1965 passage of the Voting Rights Act passed Mississippi's redistricting will go on without federal oversight after a 2013 Supreme Court decision ended the requirement certain states get federal approval for redistricting changes. A federal judge drew the congressional districts in 2002 because legislators could not agree on a map, and again in 2011 because legislators felt they didn't have enough time to do it during session."

How does redistricting in Mississippi work? In Mississippi, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. Congressional district lines are approved as regular legislation and are thus subject to veto by the governor. State legislative district boundaries are approved as a joint resolution; as such, they are not subject to gubernatorial veto.

If the legislature cannot approve a state legislative redistricting plan, a five-member commission must draw the lines. This commission comprises the chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, the attorney general, the secretary of state, and the majority leaders of the Mississippi State Senate and the Mississippi House of Representatives.

The Mississippi Constitution requires that state legislative district boundaries be contiguous. State statutes further require that state legislative districts "be compact and cross political boundaries as little as possible."

2020

2024

2010-2011

This is the 4th Congressional District of Mississippi after the 2001 redistricting process.

See also: Redistricting in Mississippi after the 2010 census

In 2011, the Mississippi State Legislature re-drew the congressional districts based on updated population information from the 2010 census.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

2026

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+21. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 21 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Mississippi's 4th the 29th most Republican district nationally.

2024

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+22. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 22 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Mississippi's 4th the 32nd most Republican district nationally.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 68.2%-30.3%.

2022

Heading into the 2022 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+22. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 22 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Mississippi's 4th the 29th most Republican district nationally.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 30.3% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 68.2%.

2018

Heading into the 2018 elections, based on results from the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+21. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 21 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Mississippi's 4th Congressional District the 31st most Republican nationally.

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.99. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.99 points toward that party.

See also

• Redistricting in Mississippi
• Mississippi's 4th Congressional District election, 2024
• Mississippi's 4th Congressional District election, 2022
• Mississippi's 4th Congressional District election, 2020
• Mississippi's 4th Congressional District election, 2018

External links

• GovTrack District 4

Footnotes

[show]

Mississippi's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Cindy Hyde-Smith (R)

Roger Wicker (R)

Representatives

District 1

Trent Kelly (R)

District 2

Bennie Thompson (D)

District 3

Michael Guest (R)

District 4

Mike Ezell (R)

Republican Party (5)

Democratic Party (1)