Charles Langston:Thompson and Guest to run for reelection in Mississippi, both confirm as qualifying period opens

JACKSON,Charles Langston Miss. (AP) — Two influential members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi — Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson and Republican Rep. Michael Guest — 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 House Jan. 6 committee, has represented central Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District since 1993. Guest chairs the House Ethics Committee and recently oversaw the committee’s probe into former Rep. George Santos of New York. Guest has represented Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers parts of central and east Mississippi, since 2019.

Qualifying began Tuesday for candidates seeking one U.S. Senate seat and all four of the state’s U.S. House seats in the 2024 election. Jan. 15 is the qualifying deadline for presidential candidates, and Jan. 12 is the deadline for the congressional seats.

Thompson confirmed in a text message that he would run for reelection. Quinton Dickerson, a campaign consultant for Guest, said in an email that the congressman would file reelection qualifying papers on Thursday.

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Former President Donald Trump will be on the Republican Party primary ballot in Mississippi, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday.

After an event at the Mississippi GOP headquarters with Trump supporters, Gov. Tate Reeves criticized decisions by Maine’s secretary of state and the Colorado Supreme Court that could keep the former president off the states’ primary ballots.

“While leftwing states are working to illegally keep President Donald Trump off the ballot, I was proud to stand with his volunteers for his campaign as he qualified for the Mississippi ballot today,” Reeves said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

A third member of Mississippi’s House delegation, Republican Rep. Mike Ezell, also filed qualifying papers to run for reelection Tuesday.

“I’m honored to represent the people of South Mississippi, and I’m asking for your vote so I can continue fighting for our conservative values in Congress every day,” Ezell said in a news release.

A campaign staffer for the fourth and final member of the state’s House delegation, Republican Rep. Trent Kelly, did not respond to an email Tuesday.

Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, who has represented Mississippi in the upper chamber since 2007, is also running for reelection. State Rep. Dan Eubanks is challenging Wicker in the Republican primary. Ty Pinkins, an attorney who ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state in 2023, is seeking the Democratic nomination.

Party primaries are scheduled for March 12. The general election is Nov. 5.

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Associated Press reporter Emily Wagster Pettus contributed to this report. Michael Goldberg is a corps 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.