Michael Guest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 3rd district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Gregg Harper |
| District Attorney of Rankin County and Madison County | |
| In office 2008–2019 | |
| Preceded by | David Clark |
| Succeeded by | John K. Bramlett, Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Patrick Guest February 4, 1970 Woodbury, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Haley Kennedy |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Mississippi State University (BS) University of Mississippi (JD) |
| Website | House website |
Michael Patrick Guest (born February 4, 1970) is an American attorney and Republican politician from Brandon, Mississippi. He serves in the United States House of Representatives for Mississippi's 3rd congressional district, having been elected in November 2018.
Biography
Michael Patrick Guest[1] was born on February 4, 1970.[2] Guest graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor's degree in accounting and the University of Mississippi School of Law with a Juris Doctor. He served as the Assistant District Attorney for Madison and Rankin counties from 1994 through 2008, and became District Attorney in 2008.[3]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
In the 2018 elections, Guest ran for the United States House of Representatives in Mississippi's 3rd congressional district to succeed Gregg Harper, who chose not to seek reelection.[4] In the six-way Republican primary election in June 2018, Guest received the most votes (45%), with Whit Hughes coming in second place with 22%.[5] Because no candidate received 50% of the vote, Guest and Hughes faced each other in a primary runoff election,[6] which Guest won.[5] Guest defeated state Representative Michael Evans, the Democratic nominee, in the general election.[7]
Guest campaigned as a strong supporter of President Donald Trump.[5]
Tenure
In December 2020, Guest was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[8] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[9][10][11]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Guest and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[12][13] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Guest and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[14]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
- Army Caucus
- Border Security Caucus
- Chicken Caucus
- Fire Services Caucus
- Freshman Working Group on Addiction
- Law Enforcement Caucus
- National Guard and Reserve Caucus
- Prayer Caucus
- Pro-Life Caucus
- Rice Caucus
- Sportsman Caucus
- Steel Caucus
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Guest | 29,157 | 44.8 | |
| Republican | Whit Hughes | 14,464 | 22.2 | |
| Republican | Perry Parker | 10,562 | 16.2 | |
| Republican | Sally Doty | 6,608 | 10.2 | |
| Republican | Morgan Dunn | 3,820 | 5.9 | |
| Republican | Katherine Tate | 416 | 0.6 | |
| Total votes | 65,027 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Guest | 31,121 | 65.1 | |
| Republican | Whit Hughes | 16,691 | 34.9 | |
| Total votes | 47,812 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Guest | 160,284 | 62.3 | |
| Democratic | Michael Evans | 94,461 | 36.7 | |
| Reform | Matthew Holland | 2,526 | 1.0 | |
| Total votes | 257,271 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Guest (incumbent) | 67,269 | 89.8 | |
| Republican | James Tulp | 7,618 | 10.2 | |
| Total votes | 74,887 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Guest (incumbent) | 221,064 | 64.7 | |
| Democratic | Dorothy "Dot" Benford | 120,782 | 35.3 | |
| Total votes | 341,846 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
References
- ^ Statement of Organization, Friends of Michael Guest
- ^ Michael Guest - Candidate for House of Representatives MS 3rd District. (Republican)
- ^ "Candidate Questionnaire: Michael Guest". Jackson Free Press. May 30, 2018.
- ^ "District Attorney Michael Guest running to replace Gregg Harper". Clarion-Ledger. January 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c Sarah Fowler (June 27, 2018). "Michael Guest defeats Whit Hughes in GOP House primary runoff". Clarion-Ledger.
- ^ "Michael Guest, Whit Hughes head to Republican runoff in MS03 race". Clarion-Ledger. June 6, 2018.
- ^ Sarah Fowler, Republican Michael Guest defeats Democrat Michael Evans in #MS03, Clarion Ledger (November 7, 2018).
- ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Smith, David (December 12, 2020). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ Williams, Jordan (December 11, 2020). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
External links
- Congressman Michael Guest official U.S. House website
- Michael Guest for Congress
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Appearances on C-SPAN
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gregg Harper |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 3rd congressional district 2019–present |
Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by Mark Green |
United States Representatives by seniority 322nd |
Succeeded by Deb Haaland |