U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, a Republican representing Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District in north Mississippi, hopes to become the highest-ranking GOP member on the House Armed Services Committee next year.
Kelly, currently running for a seventh term, said in a statement to Mississippi Today that he’s focused on winning reelection in November. But if the district votes to send him back to Washington, he will run to be top Republican of the committee that has jurisdiction over the nation’s military.
“I have a long history of working on national defense strategy, and I believe I can make a meaningful difference for our men and women in uniform and for the defense of our great nation,” Kelly said.
The current top Republican on the committee is U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers from Alabama. The Republican Conference’s internal rules limit members to a maximum of three years as the most senior person on a committee, but they can seek a waiver to be exempt from that rule.
Republican committee chairs in the U.S. House are chosen through a process with the Republican Steering Committee and a vote by the full party conference.
Kelly is a former district attorney in northeast Mississippi and a 39-year Mississippi Army National Guard veteran who retired in 2025 as a major general. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee and is chairman of the Seapower Subcommittee.
Other GOP members running for the top spot are Rep. Rob Wittman of Virginia and Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, according to Punchbowl News.
Kelly is running for reelection against Democratic nominee Cliff Johnson and Libertarian candidate Johnny Baucom, and the general election is Nov. 3.
