Who is running in Jackson County, Missouri in 2026
- County Executive
- Stacy Lake and Alan Rohlfing
- County Legislator, 1st District At-Large
- Carla Fields and Lance Pollard
- County Legislator, 2nd District At-Large
- Donna Peyton and Gresia Cabrera
- County Legislator, 3rd District
- Phyllis Hernandez and Scott Qualls
- County Legislator, 4th District
- Byron Townsend and Lon McDonald
- County Legislator, 5th District
- Antoine D. Jennings and Dale Carter
- County Legislator, 6th District
- Tony Lawson and Bill Haley
- State Auditor
- Quentin Wilson, Scott Fitzpatrick and Dustin Coffell
- U.S. Representative, District 4
- Jordan Herrera, Mark Alford and Thomas Holbrook
- U.S. Representative, District 5
- Emanuel Cleaver II, Rick Brattin and Randall (Randy) Langkraehr
- U.S. Representative, District 6
- Josh Smead, Chris Stigall and Andy Maidment
- State Senate, District 8
- Keri Ingle and Jon Patterson
- Missouri House District 19
- Wick Thomas and Karen Irene Spalding
- Missouri House District 20
- Jeff Spicer and Mike Steinmeyer
- Missouri House District 21
- Will Jobe and Michael Young
- Missouri House District 28
- Donna Barnes and Steven W. Hinton
- Missouri House District 29
- Tedi H. Rowland and Robert Bruette
- Missouri House District 30
- Kevin Grover and Jeff Martin
- Missouri House District 31
- Justin Geiser and Ron Fowler
- Missouri House District 32
- Jennifer Cassidy and Michael Todd
- Missouri House District 33
- Troy Latterell and Carolyn Caton
- Missouri House District 34
- Kemp Strickler and Sean Smith
- Missouri House District 35
- Michael Scott and Jacquie Aziere Stenger
- Missouri House District 36
- Anthony T. Ealy Jr. and Dave Thomas
Jackson County
County races are partisan. Every voter in the county picks the county executive and all three at-large legislators (each must live in their at-large district), plus one of six district seats. No sheriff, prosecutor or assessor race is on this ballot; the assessor becomes an elected office in two years. Kansas City has no city races this fall.
County Executive
Vote for oneOpen seat. Voters recalled Frank White Jr. in September 2025. Phil LeVota, appointed to replace him, isn't running and faces federal bribery charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Stacy Lake
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWants to bring property assessment back in-house from vendor Tyler Technologies, hire an independent auditor to go through the county department by department, and build a rapid bus network. Endorsed by the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO, SEIU Local 1, firefighters' Local 42 and Abortion Action Missouri.
Sources: KCUR, Campaign site
County Legislator, 1st District At-Large
Vote for oneEvery county voter sees this race. The district covers Independence and the northeastern county.
Carla Fields
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratBeat incumbent Jalen Anderson in the August primary. Says the county would have to show a need before asking voters to renew the stadium sales tax, and would take public input first.
Sources: The Beacon, Ballotpedia
Lance Pollard
Not good people RepublicanTook a bus to Washington on January 6, 2021, "to support a sitting president" at the rally before the Capitol attack, though he says he left before the riot. As a school board candidate he posted the district's transgender student policy with the words "We need to stop accommodating stupidity."
Sources: Grain Valley News, The Beacon
County Legislator, 2nd District At-Large
Vote for oneEvery county voter sees this race. The district covers most of Kansas City north of 77th Street.
Donna Peyton
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratFounded the Legislature's Housing and Homelessness Committee, and says she doesn't support automatically renewing the stadium sales tax. Endorsed by the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO.
Sources: The Beacon, Ballotpedia
Gresia Cabrera
Compromised RepublicanCame to Kansas City from Cuba as a child and wants a property tax freeze for seniors. Americans for Prosperity features her as one of its volunteer activists.
Sources: The Beacon, Americans for Prosperity, Campaign site
County Legislator, 3rd District
Vote for oneMost of Independence and Sugar Creek, and part of eastern Kansas City.
Phyllis Hernandez
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWould put mental health first and set up a resident task force on property taxes with a cap on yearly increases. Wants to renew the stadium sales tax for a new sports district with a WNBA arena.
Sources: The Beacon
Scott Qualls
Not enough info RepublicanPledges to cap property tax increases at 5%, end property taxes for seniors and oppose tax abatements for developers. Didn't answer The Beacon's questionnaire; no record in office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, The Beacon
County Legislator, 4th District
Vote for oneSouth Kansas City east of Troost, southern Raytown and Grandview. Open seat.
Byron Townsend
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratLists "full opposition to an ICE detention center" among his priorities, along with bus rapid transit and preserving affordable housing. Has helped run the letter carriers' food drive for 20 years.
Sources: The Beacon
Lon McDonald
Not enough info RepublicanWants to eliminate property taxes on primary homes and drop Tyler Technologies, the county's assessment vendor. No record in office.
Sources: The Beacon, Ballotpedia
County Legislator, 5th District
Vote for oneNortheastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Oak Grove. Not on Kansas City ballots.
Antoine D. Jennings
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWants a cap on yearly assessment increases and an independent appeals review so homeowners don't need lawyers. Would let the stadium tax expire and spend on roads and regional transit instead. Endorsed by the Lee's Summit Democrats.
Sources: The Beacon, LS Democrats
Dale Carter
Compromised RepublicanSays "politics doesn't have to be a blood sport" and has the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO's endorsement. He also hosts a conservative podcast, Dale Carter's America, which recently featured a "detransitioner" who, in the show's words, returned "to the way God made her."
Sources: The Beacon, Ballotpedia, Apple Podcasts, KCUR
County Legislator, 6th District
Vote for oneSoutheastern Jackson County, including Lee's Summit, Lone Jack and Lake Lotawana. Open seat: Sean Smith is running for the Missouri House.
Tony Lawson
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWants voters to have oversight of assessments, and would use the stadium site for transit, affordable homes or a mental health center. Endorsed by the Lee's Summit Democrats and the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors.
Sources: The Beacon, Campaign site, LS Democrats
Bill Haley
Compromised RepublicanWould let the stadium tax expire and focus first on getting assessments right. Lists endorsements from two police unions, FOP Lodges 99 and 50.
Sources: Ballotpedia, The Beacon
Unopposed county races
No contestCounty Legislator, 1st District (Kelly Thompson), 2nd District (Venessa Huskey) and 3rd District At-Large (Susan B. Wilson), all Democrats.
Judges (retention)
Not profiledYes or no on keeping Court of Appeals Judge Lisa White Hardwick (Western District); 16th Circuit Judges Kenneth R. Garrett III, Patrick C. Edwards, Lauren D. Barrett, Cory L. Atkins and Kevin D. Harrell; and Associate Circuit Judges Abbie Rothermich, R. Travis Willingham, Kea S. Bird-Riley and Mary Frances Weir. Supreme Court Judge Paul C. Wilson is covered with the statewide races. We haven't profiled judges yet.
State and federal
Under the 2022 map, all of Kansas City's Jackson County voters are in the 5th Congressional District; voters elsewhere in the county may be in the 4th, 5th or 6th. Only state Senate District 8, in the eastern county, is up this year. The county is split among many Missouri House districts. Check your sample ballot to see which races are yours.
State Auditor
Vote for oneFitzpatrick has done the job straight, including standing up to the attorney general in 2023, but he took Missouri Right to Life's endorsement. Wilson has no such ties.
Quentin Wilson
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratSays "Missouri taxpayers deserve an independent watchdog willing to ask tough questions, follow the money" and wants teachers and health care workers consulted on how state money is spent. Endorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO, the UAW, Teamsters Local 688 and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Sources: Cass County Democrats, Campaign site, St. Louis Public Radio
Scott Fitzpatrick
Compromised RepublicanIn 2023 he refused Attorney General Andrew Bailey's demand to raise his cost estimate for the abortion-rights amendment to billions of dollars, and the Missouri Supreme Court sided with him. This year his office reported a Webster Groves employee's city card charges at adult entertainment venues and $178,000 the Bates County sheriff spent on a rodeo. Missouri Right to Life endorsed him for a second term.
Sources: Missouri Independent, State Auditor, St. Louis Public Radio, Missouri Times, Wikipedia
Dustin Coffell
Not enough info LibertarianChairs the Missouri Libertarian Party and has an accounting background. Has no campaign website; his Facebook page says he wants the lowest taxes possible for Missouri residents.
Sources: Columbia Missourian, The Ballot Brief, KBIA
Constitutional amendments, Proposition A and Supreme Court retention
Yes or noWe describe what each measure does and don't make recommendations.
- Amendment 3, abortion: Put on the ballot by the Republican-led Legislature. Repeals the abortion-rights amendment voters passed in 2024, which protects abortion up to fetal viability. In its place it would allow abortion only for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, and rape or incest before 12 weeks; let the Legislature regulate abortion; require parental consent for minors; limit public funding of abortion; and ban gender transition surgery, cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers for minors, which a 2023 state law already bars. A yes vote makes those changes; a no vote keeps the 2024 amendment.
- Amendment 6, voter-approved laws: A citizen initiative from Respect Missouri Voters, put on the ballot by the Missouri Supreme Court after Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected it. Makes initiative and referendum a fundamental right and bars the Legislature from changing or repealing a law voters passed unless 80% of each chamber agrees, and then the change goes back to voters. It also lets courts rewrite ballot summaries and keeps today's signature and majority-vote rules. Backers point to lawmakers' repeal of the paid sick leave voters approved in 2024. A yes vote adds these limits; a no vote leaves the constitution as it is.
- Amendment 7, Show-Me Prosperity Fund: Put on the ballot by the Legislature. Creates a state endowment meant to earn enough someday to replace state taxes. It starts with no money; the Legislature would decide how to fill it. Nothing could be spent until the state treasurer certifies the earnings can replace state taxes, and then those taxes would end and could not come back unless the fund fails. The sponsor's goal is ending most state taxes in about 100 years; the Missouri Budget Project says it risks taking money from state services.
- Amendment 8, sheriffs: Put on the ballot by the Legislature. Writes into the constitution that every county elects a sheriff to a four-year term, which state law already requires, along with sheriffs' duties, and says a sheriff can be removed only by a quo warranto case brought by the attorney general. The Missouri Sheriffs Association and Missouri Sheriffs United worked on it; Democratic Rep. Mark Boyko says it could keep a sheriff in office for months or years even after a felony conviction. St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County are exempt.
- Proposition A, congressional map: A referendum, forced by more than 300,000 signatures from People Not Politicians, on the U.S. House map the Legislature passed in 2025 after President Trump demanded Republicans flip the Kansas City district held by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver. A yes vote approves the 2025 map for future elections; a no vote keeps the 2022 map. Under a Missouri Supreme Court order, this November's House races use the 2022 map either way.
- Supreme Court: Judge Paul C. Wilson, on the court since 2012, is up for a yes-or-no retention vote. Court of Appeals judges appear only on ballots in their own district. We haven't profiled judges yet.
U.S. Representative, District 4
Vote for oneKathleenMae Rogers is running as an independent write-in.
Jordan Herrera
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratRunning to break up monopoly power in agriculture, and supports abortion access and marriage equality. Endorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO.
Sources: KCUR, Missouri AFL-CIO
Mark Alford
Not good people RepublicanHas Trump's endorsement, and suggested ICE build a detention center in Cass County after Kansas City worked to stop one. Told federal workers fired in Trump's layoffs that "God has a plan and purpose for your life."
Sources: KCUR
Thomas Holbrook
Not enough info LibertarianAgainst gerrymandering and for cutting federal bureaucracy. No record in office.
Sources: KCUR
U.S. Representative, District 5
Vote for oneRepublicans redrew this district in 2025 to unseat Cleaver. The courts ordered the 2022 map for this election; Proposition A, in the statewide section, asks whether to keep the new one.
Emanuel Cleaver II
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratHelped create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and has made affordable housing his main cause in Congress. Endorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO.
Sources: KCUR, Missouri AFL-CIO
Rick Brattin
Not good people RepublicanHas Trump's endorsement, and the first value on his campaign site is being a "fighter for President Trump." Is part of a lawsuit to throw out the court-ordered 2022 map this election uses.
Sources: KCUR
Randall (Randy) Langkraehr
Not enough info LibertarianHas no campaign site; his Facebook page talks about the cost of living. No record to judge.
Sources: KCUR, Ballotpedia
U.S. Representative, District 6
Vote for oneOpen seat. Republican Sam Graves is retiring.
Josh Smead
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratRunning to check Trump's power: wants to block the SAVE Act, stop the tariffs and the Iran war, and keep Medicaid. Endorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO.
Sources: KCUR, Missouri AFL-CIO
Chris Stigall
Not good people RepublicanSpent the primary competing to prove his loyalty to Trump, who calls him a "great friend." Nearly every plank of his platform is framed as support for Trump, from finishing the wall to the SAVE Act.
Sources: KCUR, Campaign site
Andy Maidment
Not enough info LibertarianSays "taxation is theft" and wants to abolish the federal Education, Commerce and Homeland Security departments. No record in office.
Sources: KCUR
State Senate, District 8
Vote for oneLee's Summit, Blue Springs and the eastern county. Open seat.
Keri Ingle
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratSays Patterson and "his supermajority want to strip" the abortion rights voters approved in 2024. Endorsed by Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes and the Missouri AFL-CIO.
Sources: Planned Parenthood, Missouri AFL-CIO
Jon Patterson
Compromised RepublicanVoted against the 2025 gerrymander that split Jackson County and against the abortion ban amendment, but let both pass the chamber he runs, and voted to repeal the paid sick leave voters approved. Endorsed by Americans for Prosperity and the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police.
Sources: Spectrum News, Will of the People PAC, Americans for Prosperity, Missouri Times
Missouri House District 19
Vote for oneWick Thomas
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratBacks Medicaid expansion, affordable housing and the Missouri Non-Discrimination Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender to the state human rights law. Endorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO and, in 2024, Moms Demand Action.
Sources: KCUR, Missouri AFL-CIO, Ballotpedia
Karen Irene Spalding
Compromised RepublicanTold KCUR in 2024 that employers should give American citizens preference over undocumented residents, and that she wants abortion kept banned. Lists Missouri Right to Life's endorsement.
Sources: KCUR, iVoterGuide
Missouri House District 20
Vote for oneJeff Spicer
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratRunning to restore the paid sick leave voters approved in 2024, and to keep public money in public schools and end "unnecessary corporate giveaways."
Sources: Campaign site
Mike Steinmeyer
Compromised RepublicanVoted for the 2025 congressional gerrymander, the abortion ban amendment and the repeal of voter-approved paid sick leave. Endorsed by the Missouri FOP along with Teamsters Local 41 and IBEW Local 124.
Sources: Will of the People PAC, Campaign site
Missouri House District 21
Vote for oneWill Jobe
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratVoted no on all five measures this Legislature sent to override or limit voter-approved laws, including the gerrymander and the sick leave repeal. Wants a state child tax credit and universal paid maternity leave.
Sources: Will of the People PAC, UpBallot, Missouri AFL-CIO
Michael Young
Not enough info RepublicanRuns on "people over parties," economic relief and support for first responders. No record in office.
Sources: Missouri Times
Missouri House District 28
Vote for oneDonna Barnes
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratFocuses on health care, education, working families and tax relief for seniors. Endorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO.
Sources: KCUR, Missouri AFL-CIO, Ballotpedia
Steven W. Hinton
Not enough info RepublicanIn 2024 he didn't respond to KCUR and had no verifiable information online. We found nothing new.
Sources: KCUR, Ballotpedia
Missouri House District 29
Vote for oneOpen seat.
Tedi H. Rowland
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratHas a son with Down syndrome and volunteers with disability programs; running on fully funded public schools, child care tax credits and ending the sales tax on food and medicine. Endorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO and firefighters' Local 42.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Missouri AFL-CIO
Robert Bruette
Compromised RepublicanRunning on lower property taxes, higher teacher pay and "empowering parents" in education. Endorsed by Missouri Right to Life.
Sources: Missouri Times, iVoterGuide
Missouri House District 30
Vote for oneOpen seat: Patterson is running for state Senate.
Kevin Grover
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratEndorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO and Access MO. As principal of Moreland Ridge Middle School in Blue Springs, he was named in two wrongful-death suits that blamed two students' suicides on bullying the school didn't stop; the district settled them for close to $400,000.
Sources: Missouri Times, Missouri AFL-CIO, Access MO, Heartlander
Jeff Martin
Not good people RepublicanGave to Trump's 2024 campaign, according to iVoterGuide's contribution records, and is endorsed by Rep. Mark Alford. Says Jackson County property taxes are "insane."
Sources: iVoterGuide, Missouri Times
Missouri House District 31
Vote for oneJustin Geiser
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWrites openly about the lasting toll his Marine service took on his body and mind. Endorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO and Access MO.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Missouri AFL-CIO, Access MO
Ron Fowler
Compromised RepublicanVoted for the 2025 congressional gerrymander, the abortion ban amendment, the paid sick leave repeal and the amendment to end simple-majority approval of citizen initiatives. Runs on funding law enforcement and school choice.
Sources: Will of the People PAC, KCUR
Missouri House District 32
Vote for oneOpen seat.
Jennifer Cassidy
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratFirst ran in 2024 to honor her late daughter, who had Down syndrome. Opposes vouchers because private schools don't have to enroll students with disabilities. Endorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO.
Sources: KCUR, Missouri AFL-CIO
Michael Todd
Not enough info RepublicanWants more state help with roads and bridges and closer work between the state and cities. We found nothing on where he stands on state issues beyond that.
Sources: Campaign site
Missouri House District 33
Vote for oneTroy Latterell
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratPromises to "fight attempts to silence voters or overturn ballot initiatives" and to keep public money out of "schemes that drain resources from classrooms." Endorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO.
Sources: Campaign site, Missouri AFL-CIO
Carolyn Caton
Not good people RepublicanKCUR reported in 2024 that she "enthusiastically backs Donald Trump"; she unseated Rep. Chris Sander, an openly gay Republican, attacking his opposition to the ban on transgender care for minors. Voted for the gerrymander, the abortion ban amendment and the sick leave repeal.
Sources: KCUR, Will of the People PAC
Missouri House District 34
Vote for oneKemp Strickler
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWas the ranking Democrat on the House tax reform committee in his first term, and filed a resolution to let Kansas City, St. Louis and counties regulate firearms. Endorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO.
Sources: KCUR, Missouri AFL-CIO
Sean Smith
Compromised RepublicanOn the Legislature he opposed a landfill in south Kansas City and chaired 911 oversight. In his 2024 run for Congress he was endorsed by the Missouri Republican Assembly, a conservative Republican group.
Sources: Campaign site, iVoterGuide, Ballotpedia
Missouri House District 35
Vote for oneOpen seat: Ingle is running for state Senate.
Michael Scott
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWants to protect citizen initiatives and end partisan gerrymandering. Endorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO and Access MO.
Sources: Campaign site, Missouri AFL-CIO, Access MO
Jacquie Aziere Stenger
Not enough info RepublicanRunning on health care costs, government spending, public safety and small business. First run; no record.
Sources: Missouri Times
Missouri House District 36
Vote for oneAnthony T. Ealy Jr.
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratA labor lawyer first backed by Run for Something in 2022. Endorsed by the Missouri AFL-CIO.
Sources: Run for Something, Missouri AFL-CIO
Dave Thomas
Not enough info RepublicanHis campaign site argues citizen initiatives should need majorities in six of the eight congressional districts, not just statewide. Nothing else on his record.
Sources: Campaign site
Unopposed Missouri House seats
No contestDistrict 22 (Yolanda Young), 23 (Tony L. Van Trece), 24 (Kevin Garner), 25 (Pattie Mansur), 26 (Tiffany Price), 27 (Melissa A. Douglas) and 37 (Karissa Marie Varga), all Democrats.
Local questions
We describe what each question does and don't make recommendations. The statewide amendments and Proposition A are covered with the statewide races.
Jackson County Question 1, COMBAT anti-crime sales tax (renewal)
Yes or noContinues the county's quarter-cent sales tax known as COMBAT for 10 more years. The money goes to a separate trust fund for drug abuse prevention and treatment and for investigating, prosecuting and jailing violent criminals and drug dealers. Every voter in the county sees it. Ballot language.
Independence Question 1, historic buildings bond
Yes or noLets the city borrow $19.9 million through general obligation bonds to renovate city-owned historic buildings and write a 20-year plan for them, starting with the Bingham-Waggoner Estate, the Vaile Mansion, the Truman Memorial Building, Old Fire Station One and the 1827 Log Courthouse. Ballot language.
Blue Springs, local use tax
Yes or noApplies a use tax, at the same 2.5% rate as the city sales tax, to purchases Blue Springs residents make from online and out-of-state sellers that aren't taxed now. The money would pay for streets and other capital projects. Ballot language.
Lee's Summit, citywide trash collection
Yes or noAsks whether the city should provide citywide trash collection for homes. Ballot language.
Other local questions
VariesSni Valley Fire Protection District asks for a 1% sales tax, with its property tax levy cut each year by half of what the sales tax brought in the year before. Ballot language.
More Missouri guides
Governor, statewide offices and ballot measures: Missouri statewide races.
- St. Louis County: Florissant, Chesterfield, Wildwood, Kirkwood, University City, Ballwin, Ferguson, Webster Groves, Maryland Heights, Clayton
- City of St. Louis: St. Louis
- Greene County: Springfield, Republic, Willard, Battlefield, Strafford, Ash Grove, Fair Grove, Walnut Grove