Overview
- Rick Brattin captured the Republican nomination for Missouri’s 5th Congressional District Tuesday, beating a crowded field and leading former Boone County clerk Taylor Burks by a clear margin in early returns.
- President Trump posted a last‑minute endorsement on Truth Social less than a day before the primary, calling Brattin a “MAGA Warrior” and signaling White House backing that allies say helped voters coalesce.
- Outside spending dominated the race, with Club For Growth’s Win It Back PAC spending about $2.1 million for Brattin and outside groups totaling roughly $3.8 million—far more than the candidates themselves raised.
- Brattin voted for the mid‑decade map that reshaped the 5th District by stretching it from Kansas City into central Missouri, a change that reduced the district’s Democratic share and made it significantly more favorable to Republicans.
- Secretary of State Denny Hoskins denied a referendum petition after the primary and a court challenge of that decision could suspend or roll back the new map, a result that would determine whether Brattin faces 11‑term Democrat Emanuel Cleaver under the altered boundaries or in the older district that favors Cleaver.