Republicans vying for Hartzler’s seat face residency issues under new congressional map
When the Missouri Senate finalized the state’s congressional map last week, it carved four of the eight Republican candidates vying for U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler’s seat in Congress out of the district they hope to represent.
The new congressional boundaries, which were signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson Wednesday, created a residency conundrum for the crowded primary field. The candidates who were pushed out of the 4th Congressional District now face calls to drop out from two of their challengers as they scramble to change their residencies and stay in the race.
“I applaud those who make the decision to run for Congress and put their name on the ballot, but you should live in the district you are running for, it’s that simple,” Republican challenger Kalena Bruce, a Stockton cattle farmer, said in a statement. “As voters evaluate candidates, I believe it’s important to look at those who truly reside and have a first-hand connection to the issues and challenges of the individuals and families they will represent in Congress.”
The U.S. Constitution only requires congressional candidates to live in the state rather than the specific district they seek to represent, but it’s generally viewed as a political liability for a candidate to reside outside the district.
One candidate, state Rep. Sara Walsh, who lives in Ashland, withdrew from the race earlier this week after the map pushed her out of the 4th District. Walsh, who had voted for the map, said her new district removed many of her supporters and hurt her chances of winning.
Two others, former Fox 4 anchor Mark Alford and former Boone County Clerk Taylor Burks, who were carved into the 5th District and 3rd District respectively, told The Star Thursday they would stay in the race. Both said they were changing their residences to remain in the 4th District.
The fourth, Kyle LaBrue, who lives in Osage Beach and was carved into the 3rd District, did not respond to an email from The Star seeking comment Thursday.
It’s highly unlikely candidates who were pushed out would be able to file in new districts. As of Tuesday, only an order from a circuit court judge would allow candidates to withdraw from the race. And the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office would only reopen the filing period if an incumbent or the sole candidate in the race withdrew, said spokesperson Madison Walker. Neither situation would apply to the 4th District.
Even if they could run in their new districts, Alford, who has centered his campaign around being a strong conservative voice for the 4th District, would have to run in nine-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s 5th District — one of the state’s most Democratic-leaning districts.
Reached by phone Thursday, Alford painted Bruce’s statement as an attempt to disrupt his and Burks’ campaigns. Alford leads the field with cash on hand with more than $340,000 in his campaign account as of the end of March, according to his most recent filing with the Federal Elections Commission. Burks leads in total fundraising, but has spent more of his cash than Alford.
“We’re number one in polls and we’re number one with cash on hand. We’re the clear front runner in this race,” Alford said. “I’m not surprised that she’s trying to get myself and Taylor Burks out of the race. Taylor Burks is also a very strong competitor and making strides as well.”
Alford said he is “very close to contracting” on property in Cass County to stay in the 4th District. He waited until after the map was approved to make the decision to move because of concerns that he could have been pushed out of his new residence as well, he said.
“Of course, under the U.S. Constitution, you do not have to be a resident of the district of which you represent,” he said. “However… I can be that strong voice living in the 4th district and that’s what we fully plan to do.”
Infighting among state GOP lawmakers is largely to blame for the confusion for candidates. For months, a hard-right group of senators had filibustered and derailed debates in an effort to approve a congressional map that would have given Republicans an additional seat in Congress.
The Senate approved the district lines in a late push to avoid court intervention last Thursday — more than a month after the deadline to file for the upcoming Aug. 2 primaries. This meant candidates were forced to file to run before the district lines were finalized.
Under the new map, the 4th Congressional District now stretches from the Kansas City metro to central Missouri — splitting liberal-leaning Boone County in the process.
Burks, who ran Boone County’s local elections in 2017, was carved out of his district in the now-divided divided county. Reached by phone Thursday, Burks referred to Bruce’s call for him to drop out as “silly.”
“The map was changed five days before ballots had to be finalized and a bunch of Jeff City insiders carved out me specifically from this map,” he said.
In a follow up text to a reporter, Burks said he was moving his residency and voter registration to family-owned property in northern Boone County and was “out of the district for less than 24 hours.”
“I’ll temporarily make that home until our boys finish school and we can officially move,” the text said.
Republican primary candidates who remain residents of the district are Bruce, state Sen. Rick Brattin, who lives in Harrisonville, former St. Louis Blues hockey player Jim Campbell, who lives in Climax Springs, and retired police officer Bill Irwin, who lives in Lee’s Summit.
Brattin, who ranks fifth in fundraising among his competitors, on Thursday said he agreed with Bruce when asked if he felt candidates who were pushed out should drop out of the race.
“I think it’s unfortunate that some candidates have chosen to run for the 4th District despite not living here,” he said in a text to a reporter. “Unlike some of the candidates in this race, I live here and I’m going to keep living in the 4th District, win or lose…”
Irwin, who sits at fourth in fundraising with $235,189.52, however, did not join his colleagues in calling on candidates to drop out.
“The law is the law,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to draw tons of traction to hurt them necessarily because I think candidates have a lot of name notoriety already, whether they live in the district or not. A couple of them don’t. I don’t think it’s going to hurt them because people just know them from being on TV or something.”
This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 10:49 AM.
