About
Trent Kelly (R-Miss.) is an attorney who has represented Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since winning a special runoff election in June 2015. A member of the conservative Republican Study Group, he ran for reelection in 2022 with Trump’s endorsement and won in his solidly Republican district.
Previously, Kelly served as district attorney for the state’s first circuit. A decorated war veteran who served in both the Gulf and Iraq wars, he is a major general in the Mississippi Army National Guard and the highest-ranking military officer in Congress. In addition to serving on the House Armed Services Committee, he is the Ranking Member of the Intelligence and Special Operations subcommittee.
After the 2020 presidential election, Kelly adhered to the GOP playbook by casting doubt on the legitimacy of the voting process. He objected to certifying Biden’s Electoral College win and voted against both impeaching Trump for inciting the mob and establishing a special House committee to investigate the insurrection, among other measures. In 2021, he also voted against H.R. 1, the For the People Act to protect voting rights.
January 6. 2021
- In the hours before the mob attacked the Capitol, Kelly met with members of a group called The Patriot Party of Mississippi, several of whom joined the Trump rally on the National Mall. The group reportedly formed on Facebook at the end of 2020 and invited supporters to the Jan. 6 “Operation Occupy the Capitol,” which was meant to “take back our country from corrupt politicians.”
- Just hours after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, Kelly joined 146 other congressional Republicans in refusing to certify Biden’s win of the 2020 presidential election.
- Kelly joined most of the rest of Mississippi’s House delegation in voting against impeaching Trump for his role in instigating the attack on Congress and the Capitol, and for fanning the flames once the riot broke out.
- He also voted against establishing a House committee to investigate who and what was behind the insurrection.
The Big Lie
- On Nov. 7, 2020, shortly after the election had been called for Biden, Kelly and four other members of Mississippi’s congressional delegation issued a statement urging investigations of allegations of ineligible voters.
- On Dec. 10, 2020, Kelly signed an amicus brief in a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the results of the presidential election in four swing states: Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Top contributors for the 2024 election cycle.
The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families.
| Organization Name | Total | PACs | Individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herzog Contracting | $28,100.00 | $5,000.00 | $23,100.00 |
| Dunlap & Kyle | $25,200.00 | $0.00 | $25,200.00 |
| Seemann Composites | $20,800.00 | $0.00 | $20,800.00 |
| Usmi | $18,200.00 | $0.00 | $18,200.00 |
| Herzog | $16,500.00 | $0.00 | $16,500.00 |
| Hankins Inc | $15,700.00 | $0.00 | $15,700.00 |
| Ergon Inc | $13,200.00 | $0.00 | $13,200.00 |
| Tower Loan | $13,200.00 | $0.00 | $13,200.00 |
| Balch & Bingham | $11,250.00 | $7,500.00 | $3,750.00 |
| General Atomics | $11,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $1,000.00 |