Guest, 48, defeated Whit Hughes, 43 of Madison, a longtime Republican Party operative who was formerly an executive at a hospital foundation, in Tuesday’s runoff election. Guest held a commanding lead of around 30 percent late Tuesday night. At a Brandon restaurant, Guest celebrated his victory which made him the clear frontrunner in November’s general election. Guest will be facing Michael Evans, a Democrat from Preston in east Mississippi. Hundreds ate and listened as Guest introduced himself to the crowd. He stated that it was a long journey, but that he had reached a significant milestone. Guest also said he would work to unify all conservatives who voted in the same direction as the five other Republican candidates. As Guest spoke in the busy Brandon restaurant, he was accompanied by his wife Haley, his two sons, parents, and in-laws. Gregg Harper (another Rankin County resident) decided not to run for re-election, having held the seat for ten years. Two candidates were firmly rooted in the Mississippi Republican Party establishment. Governor Hughes gave Guest his endorsement. Hughes and Phil Bryant worked previously as economic developers for the state. Prior to that, Hughes worked on the campaign of former Republican Governor. Haley Barbour. Both Hughes and Guest endorsed Republican President Donald Trump throughout the campaign and stated that they would support his policies as members of the U.S House. Hughes said, “I am proud about this campaign,” at a quieter campaign party held at Ridgeland’s restaurant. We feel very proud of the campaign. Hughes regretted that Guest did not allow him to debate him in the three weeks between primary and runoff. To offset, he said that he and his wife Shelley tried to organize as many town hall events throughout District 3 as possible. District 3 is comprised of 24 counties, from Wilkinson County in southwest Mississippi to Oktibbeha County. It also includes Starkville and Mississippi State University in northeastern Mississippi. The district is dominated and anchored by the wealthy and populous Jackson suburbs. This includes Rankin, portions of Hinds, Madison and Hinds counties. Guest and Hughes were the only Jackson residents among the six-candidate Republican Party primary field. It was not an accident that Hughes and Guest were the top vote-getters in June 5’s primary. Guest, who used his Rankin County support to win the first primary, received 23 percent of the 65,524 votes cast. Although Tuesday’s turnout was lower than expected, Guest’s victory in the first primary was buoyed by his strong showing in his hometown of Rankin, which is the most populous district in the country. Guest will now face Michael Evans of Preston (a Democrat from East Mississippi and second-term member of the state House), in November’s general election. The 3rd District is considered safe for Republicans. The district saw Trump defeat Hillary Clinton by a narrow 61 percent to 37% margin in 2016. Evans, who is known for his humor and stories from the countryside as a House member, claimed Tuesday that strong turnout by Democrats and his cross-cultural appeal could propel him to victory in November. Evans, who is also known as Big Country by his colleagues in the state House, said that he is pure Mississippi. “I can talk about issues in any state living room because they affect me too.”_x000D