Overview
- Rick Brattin won the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary and will face 11-term Democrat Emanuel Cleaver and Libertarian Randy Langkraehr in November.
- President Donald Trump posted an endorsement for Brattin on Truth Social just over 12 hours before polls opened and his backing was credited with boosting Brattin’s late surge.
- Outside groups dominated the primary spending, with the Club For Growth’s Win It Back PAC spending about $2.1 million for Brattin and roughly $3.8 million spent overall by outside groups.
- Brattin is a two-term state senator, a Marine Corps veteran and small business owner who had additional state leadership support from figures such as Gov. Mike Kehoe and several GOP congressmen.
- A pending lawsuit challenging Hoskins’ denial of a referendum could force Missouri to revert to the prior congressional map, which would change the district’s voters and could alter the competitiveness of the November race.