US primaries: All you need to know about the Missouri elections

Missouri’s Congressional seats will be at the center of Tuesday’s primary election. While the governor’s office is not up for grabs, the eight available seats in the US House of Representatives will see some tough competition. One Senate seat in the US Senate is also on the ballot.

With US Senator Roy Blunt, a Republican, retiring from his position, the GOP has installed the toughest competitors to maintain the balance of the upper legislative chamber. In a crowded primary, Eric Greitens and Eric Schmitt seem to be the favourites. One of them has also received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who failed to clarify his pick.

Also Read: Donald Trump’s ‘ERIC’ endorsement confuses Missouri voters

Other frontrunners in the 21-person GOP field include Representatives Vicky Hartzler and Billy Long. Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis lawyer who along with his wife pointed guns at racial injustice protesters who ventured onto their private street, is also on the ballot.  

The GOP winner in Missouri, a solidly Republican state, will be favored in November. But Republican leaders have long worried that Greitens — his ex-wife has also accused him of abuse, allegations Greitens has called “baseless” — could win the primary but lose the general election.

On the Democratic side, the nomination appears to be up for grabs between Lucas Kunce, a Marine veteran and self-proclaimed populist, and Trudy Busch Valentine, an heiress of the Busch beer fortune who has largely self-funded her campaign.

Also Read: House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump face primaries

Eight seats in the US House of Representatives are on the ballot. Incumbents from Arizona entered a crowded primary to retain their seats. These include Cori Bush, Ann Wagner, Blaine Luetkemeyer, Emanuel Cleaver, Sam Graves and Jason Smith.

Missouri is one of the five states where the primary elections have been scheduled for August 2, 2022. The remaining are being held in Arizona, Kansas, Washington and Michigan.