Michael Guest
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| Chair of the House Ethics Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Susan Wild |
| Ranking Member of the House Ethics Committee | |
| In office August 19, 2022 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Jackie Walorski |
| Succeeded by | Susan Wild |
| 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 Bramlett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Patrick Guest (1970-02-04) February 4, 1970 (age 54) Woodbury, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Haley Kennedy |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Mississippi State University (BS) University of Mississippi (JD) |
| Website | House website |
Michael Guest on a House resolution honoring fallen police officers Recorded May 15, 2023 | |
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Michael Patrick Guest (born February 4, 1970) is an American attorney and Republican politician. He has represented Mississippi's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. He became the ranking member of the United States House Committee on Ethics upon the August 2022 death of Jackie Walorski, and became its chair in the 118th Congress after Republicans won a House majority that November.
Michael Patrick Guest[1] was born on February 4, 1970.[2] He 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 to 2008, and became District Attorney in 2008.[3] Guest and his family are members of Brandon Baptist Church, where he serves as a deacon and Sunday school teacher.[4]
Guest ran for the United States House of RepresentativesinMississippi's 3rd congressional district to succeed Gregg Harper, who chose not to seek reelection.[5] In the six-way June Republican primary election, Guest received the most votes (45%), with Whit Hughes coming in second with 22%.[6] Because no candidate received 50% of the vote, Guest and Hughes faced each other in a primary runoff election,[7] which Guest won.[6] Guest defeated State Representative Michael Evans, the Democratic nominee, in the general election.[8]
Guest campaigned as a strong supporter of President Donald Trump.[6]
Guest was reelected in 2020 with 64.7% of the vote, defeating Democrat Dort Benford.[9]
In December 2020, Guest was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign 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 defeated[10] 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 an election held by another state.[11][12][13]
On May 19, 2021, Guest was one of 35 Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish the January 6, 2021 commission meant to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol.[14]
In June 2022, after a leaked decision by the Supreme Court of the United States to revoke the right to abortion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Guest wrote to the Department of Homeland Security to demand action in the wake of attacks by Jane's Revenge, which Guest called an "anarchist extremist group" that targets crisis pregnancy centers and other anti-abortion organizations.[15]
In August 2022, Guest was named ranking member of the House Ethics Committee upon the death of former ranking member Jackie Walorski.[16]
Guest was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[17]
Guest voted to support Israel following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[18][19]
He also proposed the resolution that expelled George Santos from Congress.[20]
In 2024, Guest voted against the $60 billion military aid package for Ukraine, although much of the money would go to his constituency.[21]
For the 118th Congress:[22]
| 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 | ||||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 3rd congressional district 2019–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chair of the House Ethics Committee 2023–present | |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 247th |
Succeeded by |
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