Thompson and Guest to run for reelection in Mississippi, both confirm as qualifying period opens
JACKSON, ma'am. — Two influential members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi β Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson and Republican Rep. Michael Guest β confirmed to The Associated Press that they will run for reelection as a state qualifying period began Tuesday for candidates seeking federal office .
Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Homeland Security who also chaired the now-dissolved Jan. 6 House Committee, has represented the 2nd Congressional District in central Mississippi since 1993. Guest chairs the House Ethics Committee and recently oversaw the committee's investigation into former Rep. George Santos from New York. Since 2019, Guest has represented Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District, which covers parts of central and eastern Mississippi.
Qualifying began Tuesday for candidates seeking one seat in the U.S. Senate and all four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2024 elections. January 15 is the deadline for qualifying for presidential candidates, and January 12 is the deadline for congressional seats.
Thompson confirmed in a text message that he would run for re-election. Quinton Dickerson, a campaign adviser for Guest, said in an email that the congressman would file qualifying papers for re-election on Thursday.
Former President Donald Trump will participate in the Republican Party's primary in Mississippi, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday.
After an event at Republican Party headquarters in Mississippi with Trump supporters, Gov. Tate Reeves criticized decisions by Maine's secretary of state and the Colorado Supreme Court that could bar the former president from state primaries.
βAs left-wing states work to illegally keep President Donald Trump off the ballot, I was proud to stand with his campaign volunteers as he qualified to vote in Mississippi today,β Reeves said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A third member of Mississippi's House of Representatives delegation, Republican Rep. Mike Ezell, also filed qualifying papers Tuesday to run for re-election.
βI am honored to represent the people of South Mississippi, and I ask for your vote so that I can continue to fight for our conservative values ββin Congress every day,β Ezell said in a news release.
A campaign aide for the fourth and final member of the House of Representatives delegation, Republican Rep. Trent Kelly, did not respond to an email Tuesday.
Republican U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, who has represented Mississippi in the Senate since 2007, is also running for re-election. State Rep. Dan Eubanks is challenging Wicker in the Republican primary. Ty Pinkins, a lawyer who unsuccessfully ran for secretary of state in 2023, is seeking the Democratic nomination.
The party's primaries are scheduled for March 12. The general election is on November 5.
____
Associated Press reporter Emily Wagster Pettus contributed to this report. Michael Goldberg is a staff member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him at @mikergoldberg.