Cleaver Faces GOP Challenge from Brattin in Missouri's 5th District

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat who has held Missouri's Fifth Congressional District since 2005, will face Republican state Sen. Rick Brattin in November.

Cleaver ran unopposed in Tuesday's Democratic primary.

Brattin won the Republican nomination after defeating five other candidates, including former Boone County Clerk Taylor Burks and former law professor Brett Hueffmeier.

Brattin has served in the Missouri State Senate since January 2021. Before that, he spent eight years in the Missouri House. A Marine veteran, he is a founding member of the Missouri Freedom Caucus, a conservative faction that has positioned itself against the legislative establishment.

Cleaver, who lives in Kansas City, served as the city's mayor before winning his House seat, giving him deep ties to the district's largest urban center.

Republicans are targeting the seat as they work to expand their House majority. The winner will represent Missouri's Fifth District in the 119th Congress.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat who has held Missouri's Fifth Congressional District since 2005, will face Republican state Sen. Rick Brattin in November.

Cleaver ran unopposed in Tuesday's Democratic primary.

Brattin won the Republican nomination after defeating five other candidates, including former Boone County Clerk Taylor Burks and former law professor Brett Hueffmeier.

Cleaver, who lives in Kansas City, served as the city's mayor before winning his House seat, giving him deep ties to the district's largest urban center.

Republicans are targeting the seat as they work to expand their House majority. The winner will represent Missouri's Fifth District in the 119th Congress.