Walter Michael Ezell (born April 6, 1959) is an American law enforcement officer and politician serving as the

U.S. representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for since 2023.

Early life and education

Ezell was born in

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is part of the Gulfport– Biloxi–Pascagoula Combined Statistical Area. The population was 2 ...

. His father, S.H. "Buck" Ezell, was a police officer. He attended the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

, where he earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in criminal justice. He also graduated from the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Training Academy in 1981 and

FBI National Academy The FBI National Academy is a program of the FBI Academy for active U.S. law enforcement personnel and also for international law enforcement personnel who seek to enhance their credentials in their field and to raise law enforcement standards, kno ...

in 1990.

Career

Law enforcement officer

Ezell served in the Pascagoula Police Department, first as a patrolman in 1980, then as captain of the detective division in 1992, and then as chief of police for

Ocean Springs, Mississippi Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States, approximately east of Biloxi and west of Gautier. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,225 at the 2000 U.S. Census ...

, from 1998 to 2000. Following a stint as police chief in Ocean Springs, Ezell returned to Pascagoula, where he received an assignment to the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. He later served as chief of law enforcement for the Pascagoula School District and the Singing River Health System. Ezell was elected sheriff of Jackson County, Mississippi, in a 2014

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

after Mike Byrd resigned.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2022

In 2021, Ezell announced that he would challenge Republican incumbent

Steven Palazzo Steven McCarty Palazzo (; born February 21, 1970) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2023. The district included Mississippi's Gulf Coast, Biloxi, Gulfport, Pascagoula, Laurel and Hattiesburg. ...

in Mississippi's 4th congressional district in the 2022 elections. In the seven-way June 7 primary election, Palazzo received the most votes, 31.5%, and Ezell finished second with 25%. Because no candidate received 50% of the vote, Palazzo and Ezell faced each other in a runoff election. All the other candidates in the race endorsed Ezell after they were eliminated. Ezell won the June 28 primary runoff election and defeated Democratic nominee Johnny DuPree in the November general election.

Personal life

Ezell is married to Suzette Ezell. They have one daughter and one granddaughter.

References

External links

Congressman Mike Ezell
official U.S. House website
Mike Ezell for Congress
campaign website * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ezell, Mike 1959 births 21st-century American politicians Living people Mississippi Republicans Mississippi sheriffs People from Pascagoula, Mississippi University of Southern Mississippi alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi