Vicky Hartzler is a six-time U.S. Representative from Missouri’s 4th congressional district who will be contesting the Republican Party primaries to secure candidature for the U.S. Senate on August 2, 2022. Current Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, also a member of the GOP, had announced in 2021 that he would not be seeking re-election. Hartzler will contest the GOP primaries against U.S. Representative Billy Long, St. Louis attorney Mark McCloskey and state Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz.

Hartzler, a former high school teacher of home economics, is a Missouri native who first ran for the post of state representative in 1994. She scored her first major victory in the 2010 general elections, defeating 17-time incumbent, Democrat Ike Skelton. Since the Great Depression, Hartzler is the second-ever Republican to have represented Missouri’s 4th congressional district.

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The conservative politician was in the news in 2014 when she posted a tweet making fun of the global scientific consensus on climate change:

However, it was later reported by the Washington Post that Hartzler’s own district was one of the most severely affected in the United States when it comes to climate change.

The veteran politician has openly opposed same-sex marriages and supported increases in military spending. Twitter had suspended her account in March 2022 when she tweeted, “Women’s sports are for women, not men pretending to be women” while referring to swimmer Lia Thomas, who is a transgender.

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump snubbed Hartzler by not endorsing her candidature openly. Hartzler had herself criticised Trump following the January 6 Capitol attacks, calling his remarks “unpresidential”. However, appearing unfazed at losing out on the former president’s backing, Hartzler said in an interview with KCMO Radio, “I believe that Missourians want to make their own decisions on who they will vote for and who they will decide.”

August 2 is the date that has been marked for the Missouri, Washington, Ohio, Kansas, Michigan and Arizona primaries. The winners of the same will contest the mid-terms on November 8.