Michael Patrick Guest (born February 4, 1970) is an American attorney and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician. He has represented in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

since 2019. He has been the ranking member of the

United States House Committee on Ethics The Committee on Ethics, often known simply as the Ethics Committee, is one of the committees of the United States House of Representatives. Prior to the 112th Congress it was known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. The House ...

since August 2022.

Early life and education

Michael Patrick Guest was born on February 4, 1970. He graduated from

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in accounting and the

University of Mississippi School of Law The University of Mississippi School of Law, also known as Ole Miss Law, is an ABA-accredited law school located on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. The School of Law offers the only dedicated aerospace law curr ...

with a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

. He served as the Assistant District Attorney for

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

and Rankin counties from 1994 to 2008, and became District Attorney in 2008.

U.S. House of Representatives

Cindy Hyde-Smith visits with Michael Guest

Elections

2018

Guest ran for the

in to succeed

Gregg Harper Gregory Livingston Harper (born June 1, 1956) is a former American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes the wealthier portions of the state capital ...

, who chose not to seek reelection. In the six-way June Republican primary election, Guest received the most votes (45%), with Whit Hughes coming in second with 22%. Because no candidate received 50% of the vote, Guest and Hughes faced each other in a primary

runoff election The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resul ...

, which Guest won. Guest defeated State Representative Michael Evans, the Democratic nominee, in the general election. Guest campaigned as a strong supporter of President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

2020

Guest was reelected in 2020 with 64.7% of the vote, defeating Democrat Dort Benford.

Tenure

In December 2020, Guest was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an

amicus brief An ''amicus curiae'' (; ) is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. The decision on ...

in support of '' Texas v. Pennsylvania'', a lawsuit filed at the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

contesting the results of the

2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **C ...

, in which Joe Biden defeated Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked

standing Standing, also referred to as orthostasis, is a position in which the body is held in an ''erect'' ("orthostatic") position and supported only by the feet. Although seemingly static, the body rocks slightly back and forth from the ankle in the s ...

under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state. On May 19, 2021, Guest was one of 35 Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish the

January 6, 2021 commission The National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex, known colloquially as the January 6 commission, was an unsuccessful proposal to create a commission that would have investigated the January 6 Uni ...

meant to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol. In June 2022, after a leaked decision by the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

to revoke the right to abortion in the case of ''

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ''Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization'', , is a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the court held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion. The court's decision overruled both ''R ...

'', Guest wrote to the

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

to demand action in the wake of attacks by

Jane's Revenge Jane's Revenge is the name of a militant, extremist, abortion rights group that encourages and claims responsibility for acts of firebombing, vandalism, and arson in the United States, targeting crisis pregnancy centers, a church, and a Congress ...

, which Guest called an "anarchist extremist group" that targets

crisis pregnancy centers A crisis pregnancy center (CPC), sometimes called a pregnancy resource center (PRC) or a pro-life pregnancy center, is a type of nonprofit organization established by anti-abortion groups primarily to persuade pregnant women against having an a ...

and other

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

organizations. In August 2022, Guest was named ranking member of the

House Ethics Committee The Committee on Ethics, often known simply as the Ethics Committee, is one of the committees of the United States House of Representatives. Prior to the 112th Congress it was known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. The House Et ...

upon the death of former ranking member

Jackie Walorski Jacqueline Renae Walorski (, August 17, 1963 – August 3, 2022) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Indiana's 2nd congressional district from 2013 until her death in 2022. She was a member of the Republican Pa ...

Committee assignments

* Committee on Ethics (Ranking Member) **As the Ranking Member of the committee, Guest serves as an ''ex officio'' member on all subcommittees. * Committee on Homeland Security ** Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation and Operations * Committee on Foreign Affairs ** Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy, and the Environment ** Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security and Trade

Caucus Memberships

* Army Caucus * Border Security Caucus * Chicken Caucus * Fire Services Caucus * Freshman Working Group on Addiction * Law Enforcement Caucus * National Guard and Reserve Caucus * Prayer Caucus * Pro-Life Caucus *

Republican Study Committee The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a study group of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. As of 2021, the Chairman of the RSC is Representative Jim Banks of Indiana. Although the prim ...

* Rice Caucus * Sportsman Caucus * Steel Caucus * Suburban Caucus * Unmanned Systems Caucus

Electoral history

References

External links

Congressman Michael Guest
official U.S. House website
Michael Guest for Congress
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Guest, Michael 1970 births 21st-century American politicians District attorneys in Mississippi Living people Mississippi State University alumni Politicians from Woodbury, New Jersey Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi University of Mississippi School of Law alumni