Candidates from Missouri’s most-watched congressional race attend governor’s Ham Breakfast amid redistricting fight
SEDALIA, Mo. (KY3) - Campaigns for the November midterm election are underway even as uncertainty remains over which congressional districts candidates will run in. Candidates from both parties gathered at the Missouri State Fair’s Governor’s Ham Breakfast, an annual political event.
The race drawing the most attention this year is Congressional District 5, between Republican Rick Brattin and Democratic incumbent Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.
“And that’s what you get with Cleaver, almost 100% track record of voting with the radical left, and that’s not Missouri values,” Brattin said.
“People are angry, I can assure you,” Rep. Cleaver said of the newly redrawn Congressional District 5.
Redistricting reshapes the race
Cleaver’s seat is being targeted by Republicans in a battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Missouri was one of the first states to take on redistricting last year, when the Republican Party pushed to gain more seats this election cycle.
Gov. Mike Kehoe said the race will now be competitive.
“It’s going to be a competitive race, there’s no two ways about it,” Gov. Kehoe said.
Gov. Kehoe, who takes credit for drawing the new district, said it better represents Missouri values.
“I’ve said all along that should Democrats take over and should somebody like Hakeem Jeffries take over as speaker, I don’t think that type of person or that type of agenda matches what I see Missourians want,” Gov. Kehoe said.
Missourians are currently set to vote under the new map. A lawsuit seeking to revert the state to the map drawn in 2022 is pending. Brattin and Cleaver plan to continue their campaigns either way.
Supreme Court to settle map dispute
The Missouri Supreme Court will decide which map is used in November. The justices are expediting the case to settle the matter before the Sept. 8 deadline to finalize ballots.
Missouri lawmakers drew a new congressional map last year. A veto petition challenging the map gathered more than 300,000 signatures. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected that petition, leading to a lawsuit. A Cole County judge upheld Hoskins’ rejection of the petition Wednesday, but the case is expected to be decided in the Missouri Supreme Court.
Hoskins said the outcome of the redistricting fight extends beyond the state. The November midterm election has the potential to change the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“It affects not just Missouri, but it affects the United States as a whole,” Hoskins said. “These court judgments just prove my point that I was right on a local scale, and then on a national scale, we’ve got to make sure that we get a Republican majority back in DC. Otherwise, every other week, it’s just going to be constant impeach Trump, impeach Trump, impeach Trump,” Hoskins said.
A Missouri Supreme Court justice wrote a letter urging everyone involved in the case to work quickly toward a final resolution before the Sept. 8 deadline to print November ballots.
Gov. Kehoe signed map into law last year
Gov. Kehoe signed the controversial new congressional map into law after a special session in September 2025. The map creates new districts for Missouri’s representation in the U.S. House and is likely to send one more Republican to the capital. It redraws Missouri’s congressional districts, splitting up Kansas City into three districts.
Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said redistricting is inherently political.
“People who try to tell you it’s not, they’re not being completely honest,” Schmitt said. “And it cuts both ways.”
Missouri Democrats say the race could go either way.
“Folks are really, really shifting that pendulum right now, and it has to do with the economy; it has to do with our involvement in foreign wars we shouldn’t be involved in,” said Keri Ingle, a Democratic Missouri State Senate candidate.
To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.
Copyright 2026 KY3. All rights reserved.