Steven Palazzo

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

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.