Steven Palazzo

Steven McCarty Palazzo (born February 21, 1970) is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for MS's 4th congressional district since 2011. The district takes in most of Mississippi's share of the Gulf Coast and includes Biloxi, Gulfport, Pascagoula, Laurel and Hattiesburg. He is a member of the Republican Party. Palazzo defeated 10-term Democratic incumbent Gene Taylor with 52% to 47% of the vote in the 2010 mid-term election. Previously, he served in the Mississippi House of Representatives, having represented District 116 from 2006 to 2011. Palazzo again defeated Taylor in the June 2014 Republican primary election. Taylor switched parties in a bid to return to his former House seat.

Early life, education, and military service
Palazzo was born February 21, 1970 in Gulfport. He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1988, and served with the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company in the Persian Gulf War. He currently serves in the Mississippi Army National Guard. He received a Bachelor's and MPA from the University of Southern Mississippi, and is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He graduated from Gulfport High School in 1988. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Elections
In April 2006, incumbent Republican State Representative Leonard Bentz of Mississippi's 116th House District resigned because he was appointed to the Mississippi Public Service Commission. Palazzo defeated Democratic candidate Maryann Graczyk, an education lobbyist, and Republican George Emile, a funeral home director, 51%–26%–24%. In 2007, running unopposed, he was elected to a full term.

Tenure
Palazzo was awarded the 2009 Elected Official of the Year from the MS Wildlife Federation. The Mississippi Business Journal and the Sun Herald (2005) named Palazzo as a Top Business Leader under 40.

Committee assignments
He served on the Banking and Financial Services, Juvenile Justice, Labor, Select Committee on the Gulf Coast Disaster, and the Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committees.

2010
Palazzo entered the Republican primary for Mississippi's 4th congressional district and won the nomination with 57% of the vote. He faced 10-term Democratic incumbent Gene Taylor in the general election. Although the 4th had turned almost solidly Republican at the federal level, Taylor held the seat without serious difficulty from 1996 onward. His voting record had been very conservative even by Mississippi Democratic standards, and he'd often broken with his party. Palazzo established himself as Taylor's strongest opponent since 1996. In particular, he attacked Taylor for supporting Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker in 2006 and 2008. He was endorsed by Sarah Palin and in the November 2010 general election, Palazzo defeated Taylor 52%–47%.

2012
In the Republican primary, he defeated two challengers with 74% of the vote. In the November election, he defeated Democratic candidate Matthew Moore 64%–29%.

2014
In the Republican primary, Palazzo faced four challengers, including his predecessor, Taylor. Palazzo won 50.5% of the vote while Taylor won 43% of the vote. Three minor candidates made up the remaining percentage. Taylor actively campaigned and drew large numbers of Democrats into the Republican primary. Palazzo was targeted by the Club for Growth.

On Nov. 4th 2014, Palazzo easily defeated his 2012 opponent, Matt Moore, 69.9% to 24.3%; four minor party or independent candidates accounted for 3.8% of the vote.

2016
In the Republican primary, Palazzo ran unopposed for the first time in his political career. On November 8, Palazzo garnered 65.2% of the vote defeating Democrat Mark Gladney and two minor candidates.

Tenure
Palazzo voted with his Republican colleagues to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment, and force to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

In February 2017, Palazzo began to face many calls from his constituents to attend town halls. One on the Gulf Coast, in Long Beach, was organized. A similar meeting was organized in the Pine Belt city of Hattiesburg. Palazzo, along with Mississippi's two senators, has refused to attend. This continued his habit of refusing to meet or take calls from the people of the 4th District, which has become a hallmark of his third and fourth terms in Congress.

Legislation
Palazzo was one of the initial co-sponsors of the Social Media Working Group Act of 2014 (H.R. 4263; 113th Congress), a bill that would direct the United States Secretary of Homeland Security to establish within the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a social media working group (the Group) to provide guidance and best practices to the emergency preparedness and response community on the use of social media technologies before, during, and after a terrorist attack. Palazzo stated that "social media has played a crucial role in emergency preparedness and response in Mississippi, including during disasters like Hurricane Isaac and the tornadoes that hit the Hattiesburg area a little over a year ago." He said that their goal with the bill was to "build upon existing public-private partnerships and use social media in a more strategic way in order to help save lives and property."

On April 7, 2014, Palazzo introduced the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2014 (H.R. 4412; 113th Congress), a bill that would authorize the appropriation of $17.6 billion in fiscal year 2014 to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA would use the funding for human exploration of space, the Space Launch System, the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle, the commercial crew program, the International Space Station (ISS), and various technological and educational projects. Palazzo said that "American leadership in space depends on our ability to put people and sound policy ahead of politics."

Committee assignments

 * Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommittee on Readiness
 * Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces
 * '''Committee on Science, Space and Technology
 * Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics (Chairman)
 * Subcommittee on Research and Science Education
 * Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight

Personal life
Palazzo is married to the former Lisa M. Belvin. He is a member of the Rotary, VFW, NRA, MS Society of CPAs, USM Alumni Association; Boys & Girls Club Board Member; Marine Corps Association and AICPA.

Controversy
Prior to the 2016 general election, Libertarian challenger Ric McCluskey accused Palazzo of not being truthful about his service in the National Guard, claiming Palazzo failed to show up for mandatory drills. Mississippi State Representative David Baria sent a letter to the National Guard inquiring them to looking into Palazzo’s hours of service. Baria said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was investigation the claims. Palazzo denied the claims, stating, "This is a ridiculous accusation and a desperate attempt to smear a soldier’s service solely for political gain."

On August 3, 2017, Republican challenger E. Brian Rose presented documents he said raised questions about Palazzo's military service record. Rose said the documents revealed Palazzo fraudulently sought discharge from the National Guard, based on false claims of financial, family, and community hardships. ABC affiliate WLOX verified Rose's documents, stating, "WLOX has verified through an independent source that the documents are authentic." Palazzo acknowledged the documents by saying, "Not once have I ever denied that I requested this waiver more than a decade ago," but went on to call the revelation a "disgusting" attack on his family and his character.