William Blaine Luetkemeyer is an American politician, and the incumbent representative of Missouri’s 3rd congressional district, he has been in the seat since 2009. He is a registered Republican and is looking to be reelected to his seat in the upcoming midterm elections on August 2, 2022.
Born on May 7, 1952, in Jefferson City, Luetkemeyer attended Lincoln University in the Missouri capital, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a minor in business administration. He went on to work in the private sector, owning several small businesses, running his own farm and even becoming an insurance agent for a while. He entered politics in 1998.
In 1998, he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives and became the chair of the Financial Service Committee and the House Republican Caucus. In 2004, he introduced a bill to the state constitution that defined marriage as between a man and a woman, which 71% of voters approved of.
In 2005, he was appointed the Missouri State Director, working to increase size of the state’s tourism industry. He held on to the post till 2008, when he ran for the House of Representatives.
Missouri’s 3rd congressional district consists of some of Jefferson City suburbs as well as those from St. Louis as well as most of the east-central parts of the state. Between 2009 and 2013, the district was considered the 9th congressional district.
From 2009 to 2020, Luetkemeyer has been representing the 3rd congressional district, and has introduced a variety of legislation, including a 2014 bill that attempted to end Operation Choke Point, which had originally been put in place to hinder money laundering but was plagued by accusations of alleged abuse.
In 2020, he was amongst a group of Republican lawmakers who signed their name to a document which would make them witnesses or experts when Texas filed a case in the Supreme Court contesting the 2020 Presidential elections.
The U.S. primaries for Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri, and Washington are set to be held on August 2, 2022. The mid-term elections are slated for November 8, 2022.