Mississippi midterms: In 4th District race, Ezell touts FEMA and Coast Guard wins. Hulum bets on Trump backlash
By Taylor Vance | Originally published by Mississippi Today
An incumbent Republican who’s a former sheriff, a Democratic retired military officer and an independent businessman and perennial candidate are vying to represent southern Mississippi in Congress for the next two years.
State Rep. Jeffrey Hulum III of Gulfport is the Democratic challenger trying to oust incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Ezell, despite the Gulf Coast congressional district having remained solidly conservative for nearly two decades. Independent Carl Boyanton of Diamondhead is making his fourth run for the seat.
Hulum told Mississippi Today during an episode of “The Other Side” podcast that he decided to run because the area needs a unifying figure to combat divisiveness, support K-12 public education and support veterans.
“We’re too divided as a country,” Hulum said. “We’re too divided as a community. But we need a unifier. Someone who’s going to bring people together, be more neighborly and look out for the well-being of one another.”
If elected, Hulum said he would consult constituents on major policy issues, instead of blindly supporting a political party or political figure.
“We have to put the will of South Mississippi before anyone’s political agenda or aspirations,” Hulum said.
Hulum is attempting to become the first Democrat to win the southern district since 2008. He currently represents Gulfport in the Mississippi House of Representatives, and he served in the U.S. Army for 22 years, retiring as a sergeant major. If elected, Hulum would be the first Black person to represent the 4th Congressional District.
Hulum hopes that President Donald Trump’s unpopular decision to escalate the military conflict in Iran and enact additional tariffs on Canadian goods imported to the United States will cause South Mississippians to rethink their voting for the GOP.
A native of Pascagoula, Ezell defeated former Republican U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo in 2022. Before entering Congress, Ezell was the Jackson County sheriff. He serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Ezell told Mississippi Today in an interview that he wants to run for reelection to steer more federal resources to southern Mississippi infrastructure projects and build on recent funding increases in the U.S. Coast Guard, which he believes has been chronically underfunded in recent years.
If reelected, he wants to introduce legislation that rolls back unnecessary federal regulations at the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make it easier for state and local governments to receive relief after natural disasters damage Mississippi communities.
The Republican incumbent over the next two years also wants to rework some of FEMA’s flood maps because homes located within the flood zone have higher home insurance costs.
“Insurance is just over-the-top expensive,” Ezell said.
Ezell said that some of the president’s decisions on tariffs and the military conflict in Iran may be unpopular nationally. But he defended the military action as necessary to prevent Iran from having access to a nuclear weapon, and he said Trump’s tariffs are needed to correct trade imbalances between America and other countries.
“Americans have been ripped off by European nations and Canada because of the way they do business,” Ezell said. “It’s time to get some payback.”
Boyanton has vowed to fight inflation and lower the cost of living by reining in government spending and the national debt. He vows to combat fraud, waste and abuse, which he said is widespread in government. He has also been a proponent of term limits for Congress.
The midterm elections are Nov. 3.
This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Source: Original Article
