Mississippi voters in the 4th Congressional District will choose a U.S. representative to represent them in Congress in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Use this guide to learn about candidates’ backgrounds and policy views.
U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell, Republican
Background: Pascagoula, Mississippi, native U.S. House Rep. Mike Ezell graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi, the Mississippi Law Enforcement Training Academy and the FBI National Academy. He worked for the Pascagoula Police Department and served as its police chief for two terms before he became Jackson County’s sheriff in 2014. Ezell’s first term in Congress began in 2023 after he unseated Republican former U.S. House Rep. Steven Palazzo in the 2022 primaries.
Ezell is the chairman of the U.S. House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee. He voted to approve the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in July, the federal government’s annual defense reauthorization bill which would raise servicemembers’ salaries by 5% to 7%, expand domestic production capacity, created thousands of manufacturing jobs, strengthen nuclear and missile defense and add resources to counter threats from Russia, Iran, China and North Korea.
“The world is more dangerous than it has been in decades, and Congress has a responsibility to ensure our military remains the strongest and most capable fighting force on the planet,” Ezell said in a July 22 press release on his website. “The FY2027 NDAA invests in our servicemembers, strengthens our national defense, rebuilds America’s defense industrial base, and delivers the resources needed to deter our adversaries. I’m proud to support legislation that puts our troops first, strengthens military readiness, and helps ensure the United States remains prepared to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.”
Ezell helped Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District gain $27 million in Federal Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants for two infrastructure projects. One grant is for $22.1 million for the Mississippi Department of Transportation to expand truck parking and improve freight technology along the Interstate 10 corridor in Hancock County, and the other grant is $5 million for the City of D’Iberville to improve the Mallett Road Multimodal Corridor in Harrison County.
Ezell called for banning access to the abortion-inducing pill mifepristone in a 2022 legal brief. He co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act in 2023, designed to pave the way for banning abortions from the moment of conception.
The congressman also co-sponsored the national Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would have banned transgender child and adult athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. The Republican-led U.S. House passed the bill but it died in the U.S. Senate in 2023.
He calls himself a “longtime supporter” of President Donald Trump and pushes for “Trump-era policies that keep our nation strong.”
“I believe in smaller government. I believe in less taxes. I believe in more accountability,” Ezell said in an interview with C-SPAN in January 2023.
Policy Views:
- Opposes abortion, supports life-at-conception legislation
- Opposes gun control laws
- Wants to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border
- Opposes cuts to the military budget
Website: https://ezell.house.gov/
Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | X | YouTube
Jeffrey Hulum III, Democrat
Background: Gulfport native Jeffrey Hulum III is a U.S. Army veteran and the founder of Extend A Hand, Help A Friend, which helps Mississippians fight food insecurity. He has served in the Mississippi House as the Democratic representative for House District 119 since 2022. The Democrat serves as the vice chairman of the Mississippi House Marine Resources Committee and a member of the Mississippi House committees for Gaming; Military Affairs; Ports, Harbors and Airports; and Tourism.
If elected to serve in Congress, Hulum says on his website he wants to raise the minimum wage and work for families, not corporations. He aims to help families gain economic stability and the ability to afford household essentials, emphasizing the importance of giving older Mississippians “dignity and support as costs continue to rise.” The Democrat also wants to ensure the government respects veterans and offers them accessible and reliable care.
He vehemently opposes “school choice” or letting students attend public schools in districts they do not live in. The Democrat was a loud voice in 2025 who opposed a bill that banned diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in public schools and universities. A federal judge blocked the law from going into effect in 2025. The case is still pending in court.
“We’re going in the right direction in the state, and I don’t see us going backwards,” Hulum said on the House floor on Feb. 5, 2025. “But I understand the nature and the concept and the scope in which we live in right now, but we’ve got so much we’re fighting for, so many tractions and gains we’ve made in this state from changing the flag to having a diverse, unified body. We can agree to disagree, but I think we are better and got more pressing legislation than this right now, even that you’ve put out to make our court systems safe, make our people safe.”
Every child in Mississippi deserves the best education possible, no matter where the child lives, Hulum says. He wants to fight for Congress to fully fund schools, add support for teachers and expand early education. Investing in school infrastructure, broadband access and technical and vocational programs are a few ways the candidate plans to help students and educators.
Hulum says through his nonprofit, he has given students safe places to learn, reliable internet access and tutoring. As a Mississippi state representative, he has sponsored legislation aimed at teaching kids financial literacy and life skills.
Making healthcare affordable and accessible for all Americans is a major goal of Hulum’s. He believes Medicaid expansion is the best way to offer healthcare to Mississippians who have never had the chance to have healthcare coverage.
Hulum and several of his Mississippi House colleagues successfully cosponsored a 2024 bill that granted pregnant women presumptive eligibility for Medicaid so that they could go to the doctor while the State finished their determination.
To qualify for presumptive eligibility under House Bill 539, a pregnant woman must go to a federally qualified health center, a county health department, or a Department of Medicaid trained and approved provider to get a pregnancy test—showing proof of income. After a provider approves her for presumptive eligibility, she would be able to visit her obstetrician for a maximum of 60 days while DOM finishes deciding whether to add the woman to the official Medicaid rolls.
That legislation became law on July 1, 2024.
Policy Views:
- Aims to expand Medicaid in Mississippi to make healthcare more affordable and accessible
- Pledges to raise the minimum wage to help families afford daily essentials
- Wants to improve schools in every part of the 4th congressional district
- Hopes to expand broadband access and infrastructure
Website: https://www.jeffreyhulumiiiforcongress.com/
Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Carl Boyanton, Independent
Background: Carl Boyanton was born in Memphis and raised across Mississippi. He grew up in the Pearl River County public schools. He started his own business, Farmer Fresh Produce, in the Gulf South.
Boyanton said one of his key positions is addressing and stopping fraud, waste and abuse in the government. He’s against what he calls “two-party corruption” and believes American voters should have more than a binary choice.
Carl Boyanton, a Mississippi Gulf Coast resident who owns Farmer Fresh Produce, is an independent candidate for Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District. Photo courtesy Carl4Congress campaign
“I’m really a fiscal conservative, so I believe in going back to where people control their lives,” Boyanton told the Mississippi Free Press. “I don’t like the government involvement.”
Boyanton said as a businessman he values the importance of investing in small towns throughout Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District. If elected, he hopes to help Mississippi’s small towns experience economic growth by using his connections in the business community to bring industry to Mississippi.
The candidate’s top priorities include improving educational outcomes, reducing the national debt and making the U.S. borders more secure. Boyanton believes in implementing term limits for elected office, and he opposes abortion except in exceptional circumstances.
Policy Views:
- Supports secure borders
- Against abortion except in exceptional circumstances
- Doesn’t believe in climate change
- Supports Israel and Ukraine but also limits on foreign aid spending
- Supports increasing access to healthcare for Mississippians, especially rural Mississippians
Website: https://carl4congress.com/
Social Media: Facebook | Instagram
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