MS-04: Mike Ezell (R)

REPLACING:

Steven Palazzo (R)[i]

WORK HISTORY:

Pascagoula Police Department (Officer); Ocean Springs Police Department (Chief of Police); Pascagoula Police Department (FBI Safe Streets Task Force); Pascagoula School District (Chief of Law Enforcement); District Attorney’s Office, 19^th Judicial (Investigator); Campus Police Singing River Hospital (Captain); First Baptist Church of Pascagoula (Deacon); Jackson County Sheriff’s Department (Sheriff)[ii]

EDUCATION & TRAINING:

BA, The University of Southern Mississippi; Attended, Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Training Academy; Attended, FBI National Academy[iii]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Protect Our Unborn Children; Support Our Law Enforcement; Secure Our Southern Border; Defend American Values; Stand Up for Our Military & Veterans; Put America & Mississippi First[iv]

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

A “100%” pro-life Republican, Ezell pledges to oppose taxpayer funding for abortions as well as defend crisis pregnancy centers “and other pro-life organizations.” He is endorsed by National Right to Life and praised the US Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health overturning Roe v. Wade.[v] [vi]

ECONOMY, JOBS & TAXES:

Though he does not outline a comprehensive plan to combat inflation, Ezell advocates for lowering prices for gas, groceries, and fertilizer, as well as onshoring “critical supply chain jobs” from China.[vii] He is endorsed by the NFIB and has pledged to end “pointless” regulations, cut taxes, and “help businesses thrive.”[viii] He has also lambasted the Inflation Reduction Act, arguing “claiming victory over inflation is a slap in the face of the millions of Americans who feel the pain of Biden’s reckless spending at the grocery store.”[ix]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

While Ezell has not made health care a focal point of his campaign, he has chastised “Washington liberals” for purportedly supporting a plan to “use the VA to provide free healthcare to illegal immigrants INSTEAD of taking care of our veterans.”[x] In 2019, he suggested opposition to expanding Medicaid.[xi]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

On his campaign website, Ezell pledges to work to finish President Trump’s promised border wall and “end Biden’s border disaster by opposing the radical left’s catch-and-release policies.”[xii] He has decried the current administration amidst “drugs and illegal immigrants [continuing] to pour into our country.”[xiii]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

Ezell has been in law enforcement for more than four decades, most recently serving as Jackson County Sheriff, which he was elected to in 2014. According to his bio, he worked his way to Captain of Detectives in Pascagoula before becoming Chief of Police in Ocean Springs. Ezell decries “the radical left’s pro-crime policies,” and promises to “fight any and all efforts” to defund the police.[xiv] In a late October 2022 interview, he also suggested it was possible to “find some common ground with training” between police and mental health experts.[xv]

GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS & ELECTION SECURITY:

The Washington Post did not include Ezell in its October 2022 list of 2020 presidential election deniers.[xvi] However, Ezell has pledged to investigate the Department of Justice’s raid on Mar-a-Lago “and any other abuses of power made by the executive branch.”[xvii] In June 2021, he opposed HR 1, decrying its provisions to ban voter ID, allow same-day voter registration, “and use taxpayer dollars to fund politicians’ attack ads.” He continued, “Democrats want HR 1 to pass because controlling how our elections are run from Washington is the only way they can win. HR 1 must be stopped.”[xviii]

EDUCATION:

In July 2021, Ezell argued “we must stand strong for our American values of freedom & equality and we must fight to end the indoctrination of our children,” while decrying “critical race theorists” who “teach that America is inherently racist.”[xix] He also opposed President Biden’s executive order on student debt relief.[xx] In 2018, he advocated for investing in “high-quality” pre-k as a means to combat crime.[xxi]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Though he does not outline a comprehensive climate change or energy platform, Ezell supports increasing domestic energy production.[xxii] In an October interview, he advocated for cutting oil industry regulations.[xxiii]

BIG TECH & DATA PRIVACY:

Ezell supported Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition, alleging that the company shut down his account in 2021 “because I had the courage to call out Joe Biden’s catastrophe FAILURE at our Southern Border.”[xxiv]

GUN SAFETY:

The NRA endorsed Ezell in his 2022 campaign.[xxv] Ezell has promised to “work to kill any legislation aimed at taking away our right to bear arms,” and supports the 2^nd Amendment.[xxvi]

FOREIGN POLICY:

At the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ezell argued the actions “cannot be allowed to go unpunished,” and that “The world needs an America that stands strong against dictators and tyrants.”[xxvii] He has pledged to “stand up to the CCP”[xxviii]