U.S. House, Missouri - 6th District
Northwest -- St. Joseph, part of Kansas City
Race Forecast: Leans Republican
2008: Rep.
2006: Rep.
After skating to re-election in his two previous campaigns, Graves is facing a serious and well-funded opponent in Kay Barnes, a former two-term mayor of Kansas City. Though the district includes a part of Missouri’s most populous city, it also takes in substantial rural territory. That helps explain why Barnes has frequently invoked her upbringing in St. Joseph, some 50 miles north of Kansas City; Graves, who is from tiny Tarkio in the state’s northwestern corner, used an Oct. 16 debate to criticize what he said were Barnes’“San Francisco values and big-city mayor values.” Barnes has attacked Graves’“failed policies and record” of the the eight years, a period that has coincided with the Bush administration.
Race Information
- Incumbent: Rep. Sam Graves, R
- First Elected: 2000 (4th term)
- Last Elected: 2006 (61.64%)
- Incumbent Status: Running for re-election
- Race Forecast: Leans Republican
District Information
Politics in America District Profile
In Missouri’s northwest, the 6th is bordered by Iowa to the north and the Missouri River to the west and much of the south. Rich farmland continues to drive the district’s economy, while suburban areas surrounding Kansas City and St. Joseph — both located on the Missouri River — provide a solid middle-class workforce for the area’s shipping and manufacturing industries.
Platte, Clay and eastern Jackson counties surround Kansas City (shared with the 5th). Platte County’s Kansas City International Airport, a major hub for Southwest Airlines, provides many district jobs. A Ford plant in Claycomo employs around 5,000 and is one of the area’s largest employers. American Airlines, Citigroup, Farmland and Harley-Davidson employ thousands of other district residents.
The state’s largest city north of Kansas City — about an hour’s drive — is St. Joseph, which was a Pony Express terminus for riders carrying mail to and from California in the early 1860s. Today, it remains a distribution center and a district economic hub.
Outside of the two metropolitan areas, farmland spreads for miles. Corn and livestock are prevalent here, and new processing plants have created a growing market for soybeans as well. Craig, in Holt County, is home to the Golden Triangle ethanol plant, which produces 19 million gallons of ethanol per year.
Although historically Democratic, the 6th became politically competitive during the last quarter of the 20th century before moving firmly into the Republican column this decade. George W. Bush won all 26 of the district’s counties in the 2004 presidential election, earning 57 percent of the 6th’s overall vote in the process. Republicans seeking state office also have fared better recently, especially in the northern, rural areas.
Major Industry
Agriculture, international shipping, manufacturing
Cities
Kansas City (pt.), 118,635; St. Joseph, 73,990; Blue Springs (pt.), 39,698; Gladstone, 26,365; Liberty, 26,232
Notable
The Jesse James Home in St. Joseph was where the outlaw was shot and killed in 1882; The Camden Point Baptist Church Cemetery is the oldest Confederate cemetery west of the Mississippi River.
- Demographics (2000 census)
- Population: 621,690
- Under 18: 25.4%
- Over 65: 13.2%
- Married: 58.7%
- Non-Hispanic White: 92%
- Black: 3%
- Hispanic: 2%
- Asian: 1%
- Foreign Born: 1.9%
- Language other than English: 4.1%
- Median Household Income: 41,225
- Owner Occupied Housing: 72.0%
- Income above $200k: 1.3
- Workforce/Education (2000 census)
- White Collar: 58.6%
- Blue Collar: 26.8%
- Services: 14.6%
- Bachelor's Degree: 21%
- Graduate Education: 6.7%
- Civilian Veterans: 67,177
Year | Election | Candidate | Votes | Percent |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | general | Sam Graves (R) | 196,309 | 59.4% |
Kay Barnes (D) | 121,729 | 36.8% | ||
Dave Browning (LIBERT) | 12,254 | 3.7% | ||
2006 | general | Sam Graves (R) | 150,882 | 61.6% |
Mary Jo Shettles (D) | 87,477 | 35.7% | ||
Erik Buck (LIBERT) | 4,757 | 1.9% | ||
Shirley Yurkonis (PRO) | 1,679 | 0.7% | ||
2004 | general | Sam Graves (R) | 196,516 | 63.8% |
Charles Broomfield (D) | 106,987 | 34.8% | ||
Erik Buck (LIBERT) | 4,352 | 1.4% | ||
2002 | general | Sam Graves (R) | 131,151 | 63% |
Cathy Rinehart (D) | 73,202 | 35.2% | ||
Erik Buck (LIBERT) | 3,735 | 1.8% |
Year | Democrat | Republican | Independent |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | John Kerry: 42% | George W. Bush: 57% | |
2000 | Al Gore: 43% | George W. Bush: 52% |
Campaign Finance Details for the 2008 Race
Filers | Through | Total Receipts | Total Disbursements | Total From PACs | Total From Individuals | Ending Cash | Debts Owed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
RINEHART, CATHY (D) | September 30, 2008 | $390.00 | $238,000.00 | ||||
SHETTLES, SARA JO (D) | March 31, 2007 | $182.00 | $1,436.00 | $182.00 | |||
GRAVES, SAMUEL B "SAM" (R) | October 15, 2008 | $2,383,041.00 | $2,170,503.00 | $132,374.00 | $1,036,180.00 | $221,517.00 | $10,000.00 |
BARNES, KAY (D) | October 15, 2008 | $2,593,922.00 | $2,562,193.00 | $95,300.00 | $1,747,251.00 | $31,730.00 | $250,000.00 |
BROWNING, DAVID R (LIBERT) | October 15, 2008 | $4,286.00 | $4,212.00 | $3,220.00 | $74.00 |