Steven Palazzo

Steven Palazzo
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Gene Taylor
Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the 116th district
In office 2006–2011
Preceded by	Leonard L. Bentz
Succeeded by	Casey Eure
Personal details
Born	(1970-02-21) February 21, 1970 Gulfport, Mississippi, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Lisa Belvin Palazzo
Residence	Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Southern Mississippi
Occupation	Certified Public Accountant
Religion	Roman Catholic
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps Reserve Mississippi National Guard
Years of service	1989–1996 (Marines) 1997–present (National Guard)
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	3rd Force Reconnaissance Company
Battles/wars	Operation Desert Storm Operation Iraqi Freedom

Steven McCarty Palazzo (born February 21, 1970) is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Mississippi'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, representing District 116, from 2006 to 2011.

Early life, education, and military service

Palazzo was born February 21, 1970 in Gulfport. He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves in 1988, and served with the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company in the Persian Gulf War. He currently serves in the Mississippi National Guard. He became a Certified Public Accountant. He attended the University of Southern Mississippi for both his MPA and Bachelor's degree. He is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

Mississippi House of Representatives

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 Democrat Maryann Graczyk, an education lobbyist, and Republican George Emile, a funeral home director, 51%-26%-24%. In 2007, he won re-election a full term unopposed.

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.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2010

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Mississippi, 2010#District 4

Palazzo entered the Republican primary for Mississippi's 4th congressional district and won the nomination with 57% of the vote. He faced 10-term Democrat Gene Taylor in the general election. Although the 4th has turned almost solidly Republican at the federal level, Taylor had held the seat without serious difficulty. 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

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Mississippi, 2012#District 4

In the Republican primary, he defeated two challengers with 74% of the vote. In the November election, he defeated Democrat Matthew Moore 64%-29%.

Tenure

Rep. Palazzo voted with his Republican colleagues to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment, repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and to prohibit federal funding of Planned Parenthood.^{[citation needed]}

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.

External links

• Congressman Steven Palazzo official U.S. House site
• Steven Palazzo for U.S. Congress official campaign site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance (federal office) at LegiStorm.com
• Financial information (state office) at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Voting record at The Washington Post
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• [4] In the News

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Gene Taylor	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 4th congressional district January 3, 2011 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Alan Nunnelee R-Mississippi	United States Representatives by seniority 327th	Succeeded by Mike Pompeo R-Kansas