Incumbent tops crowded field in northern Missouri race

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves won his first race for the House by a narrow margin in 2000, outpacing the son of a Democratic incumbent. He has cruised back to office in the 6th Congressional District ever since.

On Aug. 5 he faces three challengers in the Republican primary. Three Democrats face off in their primary to take on the winner in November’s general election.

In Washington, Graves has staked out conservative positions on a wide range of issues while focusing on the federal government’s role in supporting and regulating small businesses and disputes over management of the Missouri River.

The Almanac of American Politics said he has “some moderate instincts, especially on economic policy, and has usually been a party loyalist.”

But ratings from various lobbying groups suggest someone most comfortable with the party’s more conservative factions. The American Conservative Union gives him a lifetime rating topping 88 percent, compared to the House Republican average of about 76. He also gets high marks from the National Federation of Independent Businesses, Citizens Against Government Waste, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the National Right to Life Committee and the Gun Owners of America.

He gets low ratings from labor and left-leaning groups such as the National Education Association, the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood and abortion rights group NARAL. He received a 50 percent rating from the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Recent federal campaign finance records show Graves has amassed more than $900,000 for his re-election campaign.

Democrat W.A. “Bill” Hedge raised almost $18,000. The five other candidates in the race had too little to report.

In the Republican primary, Graves faces Brian Tharp, Christopher Ryan and Kyle Reid.

Tharp owns a trailer manufacturing company in Rock Port and was once a hospital administrator. He has been campaigning primarily against government spending.

Ryan is a Marine Corps veteran, a stay-at-home father and a pizza delivery driver who has campaigned to lower the national debt, provide more support for the military and pass a flat tax.

“We should not punish success,” his website says. “It should be rewarded and encouraged.”

Reid is a farmer and electrician running against government spending.

“If you believe that the government should provide handouts or should tell us minutely how we should raise or educate our children,” his website says, “you should probably look for a different candidate.”

On the Democratic side, Hedge has campaigned on ideas that he says would support the middle class, including raising the minimum wage, promising women equal pay, and facilitating and improving the Affordable Care Act.

The other Democrats on the ballot are Gary Crose and Edward Fields. They have no listed phone numbers and no campaign websites.

This story was originally published July 24, 2014 at 7:38 PM with the headline "Incumbent tops crowded field in northern Missouri race."