Rick Brattin

Rick Brattin won the Republican primary for Missouri's 5th Congressional District, as projected by CBS News, in a district redrawn to favor the GOP. He will face an 11-term Democrat in the upcoming election.

Rick Brattin secured the Republican nomination for Missouri’s 5th District Congress after a late endorsement from Donald Trump. A court battle will determine whether the November election uses the current gerrymandered map or a previous one, affecting Brattin’s and incumbent Democrat Emanuel Cleaver’s electoral advantages.

Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver is set to face Republican state Sen. Rick Brattin in Missouri’s 5th Congressional District race. Cleaver ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Brattin defeated five other Republicans to secure the GOP nomination. Brattin represents Missouri’s 31st district in the state legislature.

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and State Sen. Rick Brattin criticized a 'rainbow story time' at a Columbia library featuring books about LGBTQ+ themes, threatening to cut funding if the event proceeded. The library held the event, spending $26 on materials, while legal experts clarified that discussing LGBTQ+ topics is not a crime under state law.

Missouri Republican officials threatened to cut state funding for Columbia's public library after it hosted a 'rainbow story time' featuring LGBTQ+ children's books. The event, which used minimal resources, drew complaints from residents and prompted investigations into whether the library violated laws restricting explicit material for minors.

Missouri congressional incumbents hold a significant cash advantage over challengers ahead of the August 4 primary, with $13.6 million in campaign funds compared to $1.9 million for opponents. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver faces multiple Republican challengers in the 5th District, while U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell faces Cori Bush in the 1st District. Outside groups have spent over $3.5 million in primary races, exceeding candidate spending in some cases.

The Republican primary in Missouri's 5th Congressional District faces uncertainty due to a potential legal challenge over a newly drawn map. Six candidates, including Taylor Burks and Rick Brattin, compete for the nomination, with outside groups spending over $2.8 million, while the Secretary of State will decide if a referendum petition has enough signatures to challenge the map's validity.

A lawsuit seeks to compel Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to decide if a referendum challenging the state's new congressional map qualifies for the November ballot before the August 4 primary. The political action committee People Not Politicians claims Hoskins and Attorney General Catherine Hanaway are delaying a decision, while Hoskins argues he needs the full allotted time to review petitions that may meet constitutional thresholds.