Palazzo skipped the candidate forums for this cycle. Both his opponents as well as those who attended are taking advantage. Many candidates were critical of Palazzo’s absence from the stage on Tuesday night, and some members of the audience laughed when it was revealed that he would not attend. Since his election to Congress in 2010, the congressman has held very few public events. Some constituents from south Mississippi started calling him “No-Show Palazzo” during his first term in Congress. This nickname was frequently used by his opponents this year on the campaign trail. In recent months, the congressman has not always been seen in Washington. He was among several congressional Republicans who filed a 2020 lawsuit against Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House. The suit sought to end proxy voting — where members can have other congressmen vote for them when they’re absent. Palazzo stated in a 2020 press release that he had signed on to the lawsuit and committed to not lending or placing my vote via proxy for another member. According to conservative Ripon Society, Palazzo has voted via proxy at least 66 of the 67 times that South Mississippians sent me. In comparison, neither Michael Guest nor Trent Kelly, Mississippi’s Republican congressman, have voted by proxy in the same time frame. Two of Palazzo’s GOP primary challengers in 2022, Clay Wagner (Hancock County Sheriff) and Clay Ezell (Jackson County Businessman), have raised more money than Palazzo. Ezell, Wagner and other GOP primary challengers have begun running TV ads in the Hattiesburg and Biloxi television markets. Palazzo is still not on air. Ezell, Wagner and other GOP primary candidates state Sen. Brice WIggins, Kidron Peterson and Raymond Brooks attended both the candidate forums. Justin Brassell, Palazzo’s campaign manager, stated that Palazzo isn’t only busy campaigning but also doing the job he was elected for. He was at General Atomics in Tupelo on Tuesday and stopped in Starkville while he was returning home. Brassell said that he was also making other official visits to the district on Wednesday. He will be in a senior leadership position on Appropriations if Republicans win a majority in the fall to carry out that crucial work for our state. But his campaign manager believes his reelection is in jeopardy due to months-long investigations into Palazzo’s questionable spending. Mississippi Today reported previously that Palazzo used campaign money to pay his ex-wife and himself nearly $200,000 through companies owned by them — thousands to cover the mortgage and maintenance of a riverfront property Palazzo wanted to sell. The Mississippi Today report also questions thousands of Palazzo campaign spending on luxury restaurants, sports events, resort hotels and golfing, as well as gifts. In March 2021, a congressional ethics report was made public. It claimed that Palazzo mispent congressional funds and campaign money. It also stated evidence that he used his office for his brother’s benefit and used staff to perform personal errands. According to the report, there was “substantial evidence” that Palazzo used his office and position to aid his brother Kyle Palazzo. These actions included Rep. Palazzo possibly using his official office to contact the Navy assistant secretary to assist his brother in his efforts to reenlist and paying nearly $24,000 to his brother over 10 months to act as a “political coordination.” Additionally, the Office of Congressional Ethics stated that it found evidence that Palazzo used congressional staffers to run personal errands such as looking for labels to iron on Palazzo’s children’s clothing before leaving for summer camp. The House Ethics Committee is currently investigating Palazzo. The House Ethics Committee could either dismiss the allegations or offer its own rebuttal to Palazzo. Or, it could refer the matter for criminal investigation to U.S. Department of Justice.