Here are all the declared candidates for Missouri’s U.S. Senate race in 2022 – KCUR
Candidates have until March 29, 2022 to file for the race, so more may trickle in. The primary is August 2, 2022.
Here’s who has entered the race so far, in alphabetical order:
2022 Republican Candidates
Eric Greitens — Greitens is a U.S. Navy SEAL veteran who served as Missouri Governor from 2017-2018. He resigned amid multiple scandals involving sexual misconduct and accusations of campaign finance mishandling. Greitens describes himself and his supporters as “MAGA fighters” and has been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump. As of September, Greitens had raised $1,019,771 and had $200,802 cash on hand.
Vicky Hartzler — Hartzler has served Missouri’s 4th Congressional District as a U.S. Representative since 2011. She has a background in teaching and farming and is from rural Cass County, Missouri. Hartzler began her career as a politician in 1994, when she was elected as a State Representative in the Missouri General Assembly, where she represented parts of Cass and Johnson County. Hartzler’s campaign advocates against abortion, vaccine mandates, and other issues. As of September, she had raised $1,496,657 and had $1,651,443 cash on hand, making her campaign one of the highest funded Republican campaigns in the 2022 race.
Billy Long — Long has been a U.S. Representative for the 7th Congressional District of Missouri since 2011. He announced his bid on Fox News and is running as a staunch Trump supporter. Long says he is driven to “get the Senate back” from Democrats. As of September, Long had raised $902,250 and had $539,853 cash on hand.
Mark McCloskey — McCloskey and his wife, Patty, campaigned heavily for Trump in 2020, but they are best known for brandishing guns at Black Lives Matter supporters outside of their St. Louis mansion. McCloskey is a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, pro-life initiatives, and efforts to “Stop Critical Race Theory.” McCloskey owns a law firm in St. Louis. As of September, he had raised $856,172 and had $92,146 cash on hand.
Deshon Porter — According to Porter’s Facebook page, he is a travel agent and podcast host. Porter is campaigning for Congressional term limits. No campaign contributions or cash on hand had been reported to the FEC as of Sept. 30.
Dave Schatz — Schatz has been in the Missouri Senate since 2015 and is currently president pro tempore. Prior to his time in the Senate, Schatz served from 2011-2014 in the Missouri House of Representatives. He is vice president of the family business he started, Schatz Underground, INC., which is a utility contracting business. Schatz is new to the U.S. Senate race; he filed paperwork to run on Nov. 15. No financial information on the FEC has been published yet.
Eric Schmitt — Schmitt has been the Missouri Attorney General since 2019. From 2017-2019, he was the Missouri State Treasurer. The free market advocacy group Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP) announced its endorsement for Schmitt on November 17 due to Schmitt’s commitments to fiscal policies such as lowering taxes. Schmitt has made national headlines multiple times for filing lawsuits such as one against China for its handling of the coronavirus and the one he and the Texas Attorney General filed against President Joe Biden to force construction of the border wall. As of September, Schmitt had raised $1,986,220 and had $1,199,448 cash on hand.
Dave Sims — Formerly a radio host, Sims announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in June. Among multiple other issues, Sims advocates for climate change action. Financial data for Sims has not been processed by the FEC.
2022 Democratic Candidates
Dr. MD Rabbi Alam — Alam is a Bangladesh native and U.S. veteran. He has run unsuccessfully for multiple offices in Missouri and Kansas City, including Missouri House of Representatives District 50; Kansas City, Missouri, 6th District Councilman; and Missouri Secretary of State. In 2008, Alam was appointed to the Property Maintenance Appeal Board in Kansas City, Missouri. Alam has been at the forefront of many national campaigns for Muslim rights. No campaign contributions or cash on hand had been reported to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as of Sept. 30.
Jewel Kelly — Kelly lives in rural Jefferson County. He is a United States Air Force veteran, and he and his wife, Caren, work as real estate agents for Coldwell Banker Reality – Gundaker. Running as a moderate Democrat, Kelly’s priorities focus heavily on lowering the cost of healthcare and mental health. According to campaign reports from September, Kelly had raised $6,910, with $2,625 cash on hand.
Lucas Kunce — Kunce is native to Cole County, Missouri, and is a Marine veteran who toured in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kunce received national media coverage for statements he made on the U.S withdrawal from Afghanistan in an op-ed published by The Kansas City Star. Among other priorities, Kunce’s focus is on breaking up corporate monopolies and abolishing corporate PACs. Kunce also wants to enact a “Marshall Plan” to revitalize the Midwest. According to September’s campaign finance statement, Kunce raised $1,759,596 and has $666,691 cash on hand.
Dr. Gena Ross — Ross is currently the only Democratic woman in the race. She ran unsuccessfully for Congress for the 6th District of Missouri in 2020 and served as a constituent services representative for the former U.S. Senator, Claire McCaskill. Ross lives in Platte City, Missouri. No campaign contributions or cash on hand had been reported to the FEC as of Sept. 30.
Timothy Shepard — Shepard is from Kearney and Excelsior Springs, Missouri. If elected, he would be Missouri’s first gay U.S. Senator, and he is a strong advocate for LGBTQ rights. Some of Shepard’s priorities are universal healthcare and better funding for education. According to the latest filing with the FEC, in September Shepard had raised $50,090 but had $0 cash on hand.
Scott Sifton — Sifton is from Kansas City, but he currently resides in St. Louis. He served as a member of the Missouri State Senate for District 1 for two terms, from 2013-2021. Former Kansas City mayor Sly James has endorsed Sifton. According to September’s campaign finance statement, Sifton had raised $725,502, with $156,957 cash on hand.
Spencer Toder — Toder lives in St. Louis where he works in real estate and is CEO of the medical equipment startup he co-founded, Atrial Innovations. Among many other areas, Toder’s campaign focuses heavily on climate change and global warming. If elected, Toder would be the youngest Missouri U.S. Senator. He turned 36 in May. In September, Toder had raised $136,355 and had $9,207 cash on hand.
2022 Independent Candidate
Steve Price — Price works in residential construction. He claims to self-fund his campaign, but as of Sept. 30, no campaign contributions or cash on hand had been reported to the FEC.
2022 Unknown Party Candidate
Nick Strauss — According to Strauss’ personal website, he is a retired aerospace engineer and certified system administrator based in Chesterfield, Missouri. He is also a musician. As of September, Strauss had raised $1,263 and had $0 cash on hand.