Mississippi’s fourth district covers the southeastern part of the state. The district voted for Steven Palazzo (R) in 2010 but voted Democrat before that. The district population is 75.3% White, 22.6% Black, 1.5% Asian, 1.8% Hispanic, and 0.8% Native American. 30.6% are Blue-collar workers, 51.9% are White-collar, and 18.4% are Gray-collar.

The candidates running in this race are incumbent Steven Palazzo and Jeramey Anderson (D). Palazzo has previously held the positions of accountant and small business owner. He has also served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and the Mississippi Army National Guard and fought in the Persian Gulf War. Anderson founded the nonprofit Purple Knights of America and serves as the president/CEO. He also became the youngest African American elected to a legislature in U.S. history when he was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 2013.