Republican and radio host Chris Stigall, Democratic architect Josh Smead and Libertarian Andy Maidment will face off in November to represent Missouri’s 6th Congressional District.
After 13 terms, Republican U.S. Rep. Sam Graves announced in March that he would not run for reelection. Graves endorsed Stigall in the Republican primary, where candidates fought to prove their loyalty to President Donald Trump.
Smead said he’s running to help Democrats take control of the House and challenge Trump’s power.
Maidment wants to push back on the federal government’s influence in Missourians’ lives.
In the August primary, voters nominated Stigall and Smead using maps drawn during the unusual mid-decade redistricting intended to increase the Republican hold on Congress. It split up the 5th Congressional district and redrew the 6th Congressional District in the process.
But after a lengthy back-and-forth legal battle, the original map is back in play.
If you’re confused about what district you’re in, you can find your candidates and polling place on the Missouri Secretary of State’s website.
Stigall has raised about $600,000 in donations and Smead has drawn $72,000. Maidment doesn’t show any campaign fundraising with the Federal Election Commission.
Chris Stigall — Republican candidate
Political experience: Stigall hasn’t held office before, and has promised that he wouldn’t hold the seat for as long as Graves did.
Stigall’s career as a radio talk show host has centered around conservative politics.
What else? During Trump’s 2016 presidential run, Stigall called Trump a “political hazard” on his talk show. But he later had Trump on his show and campaigned as an enthusiastic supporter of the president. Trump has called Stigall a “great friend,” though he hasn’t made an official endorsement. Stigall thinks it’ll come.
In the lead-up to the primary, Stigall and his Republican opponent, Kansas City Councilman Nathan Willett, competed to prove their loyalty to Trump.
Platform: His campaign site outlines how his goals are largely aligned with Trump’s, specifically Trump’s SAVE America Act. It’s promoted as a series of measures to fight voting fraud. Republican leadership in Congress has not backed the bill.
He’s pro-Second Amendment and anti-abortion. He wants to expand rural Missourians’ access to hospitals by reducing “red tape” — what Republicans say are overly complex mandates and inflexible requirements. He wants to solidify Trump’s tax cuts, including tax breaks on overtime and tips.
Josh Smead — Democratic candidate
Political experience: Smead hasn’t held office before.
What else? Smead concedes the uphill battle of winning a solidly Republican district. The last time a Democrat held the seat was in 2001, when the district had a different configuration. But he’s hopeful.
“This is a long-term game. We need to look ahead, not just for this cycle. 2028 is coming up right around the corner,” Smead told St. Louis Public Radio.
Platform: Smead said he would hold Republicans’ “especially powerful political appointees” accountable. He’d try to curb Trump’s impact by preventing the SAVE Act from passing, stop Trump’s tariffs and Iran war and retain Medicaid.
Andy Maidment — Libertarian candidate
Political experience: “I am not a politician,” Maidment’s site reads.
What else? He served for 21 years in the U.S. Army and the Missouri National Guard.
Platform: Maidment is running to promote individual liberty.
His campaign site says the federal government intrudes into Americans’ lives. He wants to eliminate federal departments that he says have no constitutional basis — starting with the federal departments of Education, Commerce and Homeland Security. He says taxation is theft, and wants to make the Internal Revenue Service “unimportant.”
