Missouri Farm Bureau President Reflects On Fourth District Congressional Primary

Missouri Farm Bureau building on the Missouri State Fairgrounds (Photo by Kyle Hill, Alpha Ag Network)

Candidates endorsed by Missouri Farm Bureau in the U.S. Senate and Fourth Congressional District came up short in their Republican primaries earlier this month. Farm Bureau president Garrett Hawkins noted the wide selection of candidates in each primary, including 21 Republicans and 11 Democrats for U.S. Senate and seven Republicans for the Fourth District.

Central MO Info · 22 0814 MoFB President Garrett Hawkins on large number of primary candidates

Farm Bureau endorsed West Central Missouri congresswoman Vicky Hartzler for Senate. Hartzler finished a distant second with 23.3 percent of the vote. The group’s endorsed candidate to succeed Hartzler in the fourth district, Stockton farmer and accountant Kalena Bruce, was third in her race on 14.5 percent. Hawkins said while more votes in the redrawn district are concentrated in the eastern and southern suburbs of Kansas City, agriculture remains a key component.

Central MO Info · 22 0814 MoFB President Garrett Hawkins on redrawn 4th District

Missouri Farm Bureau president Garrett Hawkins farms outside Appleton City, within the Fourth District. Former WDAF-TV morning anchor Mark Alford of Kansas City won the Republican nomination with 36.7 percent of the vote. He’ll face Democrat Jack Truman of Lamar and Libertarian Randy Langkraehr of Warrensburg this November.