Republican · Mississippi's 1st District · 2026
Trent Kelly
Kelly's working life has included managing a department store, practicing law and serving 39 years in the Mississippi Army National Guard.
Biography
Trent Kelly's career has included managing a McRae's department store, practicing law and serving as a prosecutor.1 He and his wife, Sheila, have three children and live in Saltillo, where they belong to First United Methodist Church.1
Born in Union, Mississippi, Kelly graduated from Union High School and East Central Community College before earning his undergraduate and law degrees at Ole Miss.1 He added a master's degree in strategic studies from the Army War College in 2010.1 His legal work included serving as Tupelo city prosecutor and as district attorney for a seven county judicial district.1
Kelly served 39 years in the Mississippi Army National Guard as a combat engineer, retiring as a major general in April 2025.1 His service included mobilization for Desert Storm and two deployments to Iraq.1 During the 2009 and 2010 deployment, he commanded a task force of more than 670 troops from Mississippi, Ohio and Kentucky.1
He entered Congress after a 2015 special election and now chairs the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, while serving on Intelligence and Agriculture.1 His stated priorities include defense, veterans, agriculture, patient choice in healthcare and a broad mix of domestic energy sources.2 He faces Democrat Cliff Johnson and Libertarian Johnny Baucom.3