U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly qualifies for reelection to U.S. House seat
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Jan. 3—TUPELO — Incumbent U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly is seeking another two years representing Northeast Mississippi in the House of Representatives.
On Monday, Kelly officially qualified for reelection. He first won a special election in 2015 for the 1st Congressional seat after the death of former U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee. He subsequently won reelection in 2016, 2018 and 2020.
"It is an honor to serve the citizens of Mississippi's First Congressional District," Kelly told the Daily Journal in a statement. "I will continue to fight for conservative, pro-family, fiscally sound policies that strengthen our national defense and grow our economy."
Kelly is a Republican of Saltillo and was a district attorney for the state's first judicial district in Northeast Mississippi. He is one of the highest ranking military officials in the Congress, having reached the rank of major general in the Mississippi Army National Guard.
Kelly serves on the House Armed Services committee, and he is the ranking member of the subcommittee on intelligence and special operations. The four-term Republican also serves on the Intelligence Committee, the Agriculture Committee and the Budget Committee.
Since taking office, Kelly has advocated for policies that expand benefits for U.S. veterans and has largely been a supporter of mainstream GOP policies.
Over the past two years, Kelly has called for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to pass their own abortion laws, opposed federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates and criticized President Joe Biden's administration over how it handled the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Kelly last year was one of several GOP officials who voted to object to the certification of the 2020 presidential election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania. The objection came just days after supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in a violent mob over false claims that the election was rigged and stolen.
Though he condemned the violence on the U.S. Capitol that day, Kelly told the Daily Journal that he did not draw a direct connection to the violent acts in Washington and his votes to question the legitimacy of the election results in other states.
The qualifying period for Congressional races began Monday and will end on March 1. Party primaries will take place on June 7; the general election is set for Nov. 8.
