The three candidates for Missouri's 5th District are now running to represent the same district where Cleaver won more than 60% of the vote in 2022 and 2024.
Missouri Republicans redrew the district’s boundaries to prevent Cleaver’s reelection last year, but the Missouri and U.S. Supreme Courts have ruled that Missourians must vote in the districts defined by Republican-drawn maps adopted in 2022.
Yet the map is still in limbo. A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Missouri must use the map that was passed last year. That decision is on hold while opponents appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court for a third time.
In his 11 terms, Cleaver has focused on maintaining civility across party lines and bipartisanship.
Brattin, meanwhile, has President Donald Trump's endorsement. The first value he lists on his campaign site is to be a “fighter for President Trump.”
Langkraehr doesn’t have a campaign site, but appears to be concerned about the cost of living on his personal Facebook page.
Brattin has pulled in around $330,00 worth of funding, and Cleaver has $1.3 million.
Emanuel Cleaver — Democratic candidate
Political experience: Cleaver has held Missouri’s 5th Congressional District seat since he was elected in 2004. Before that, he was Kansas City’s first Black mayor and served on the city council.
What else? He was a pastor of a United Methodist Church and delivered the opening prayer for the 2021 congressional session.
His campaign headquarters are located off of Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard, the 6-mile street named after him near the Plaza area in Kansas City.
Platform: Cleaver has more than two decades in Congress to point to, but he champions his efforts to bring affordable housing to Kansas Citians and Americans.
He helped create the federal Consumer Protection Financial Bureau that’s aimed at protecting Americans from predatory financial dealings, and he has served on various housing committees.
He secured a federal stimulus initiative to revitalize part of urban Kansas City.
Rick Brattin —Republican candidate
Political experience: Brattin was elected to the Missouri Senate in 2020, and was in the Missouri House from 2010- to 2018.
Brattin previously served as a member of the Statehouse caucus that pushed GOP members to be more conservative.
What else? He’s part of a lawsuit challenging the court’s mandate to use the 2022 Congressional map, under which Cleaver has won twice, in November.
He says that since primary voters used the 2025 map — drawn to favor Republicans — the decision to switch back to the 2022 map disenfranchises primary voters.
Platform: Brattin’s platform aligns with Trump’s “America First” agenda.
His campaign site focuses on maintaining access to guns, preventing abortions and securing the border.
He says China poses a threat to American life and sponsored a bill at the Statehouse that would have prevented foreigners from owning land within 50 miles of a military installation in Missouri.
He also promises to “get the woke agenda out of our government and schools.”
Randall Langkraehr — Libertarian candidate
Political experience: He’s vice chair of the Missouri Libertarian Party.
What else? He ran for Congress in 2012, 2014 and 2022.
Platform: He doesn’t have an active campaign website, but his personal Facebook page focuses on affordability issues.
