Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler is running for U.S. Senate according to a source close to her.
The popular Republican from Harrisonville currently represents Missouri’s 4th Congressional district. The seat is being left vacant by retiring Roy Blunt (R), Missouri’s senior Senator who serves with Josh Hawley (R).
In an email to supporters late Thursday, Hartzler teased a “Special Campaign Announcement” for June 10 in the Kansas City suburb of Lee’s Summit. The event and expected announcement will take place ahead of the Missouri Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Days gathering in Kansas City.
Odds put her as the favorite out of the gate. The large and sprawling district includes portions of the southern Kansas City metro east to Columbia and south to the northern edges of Springfield. She joins a growing field of candidates for the Republican primary.
The other three announced candidates include disgraced former Gov. Eric Greitens who resigned amid a sex and campaign finance scandal, attorney Mark McCloskey known for confronting BLM protesters in St. Louis with a rifle, and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt who had a fairly liberal voting record during his time as a Missouri legislator.
Two other Republicans are also considering jumping in. Congressman Jason Smith and Ann Wagner, both Trump allies, could round out the field.
Hartzler, now in her 11th term, is a reliable vote on pro-life and other conservative issues. She’s also a hawk when it comes to countering China and has worked to ensure Gold Star families receive full insurance benefits. She has also made the issue of religious liberties a priority and fought to ensure equal treatment of faith in public discourse and policy. As much of her district is rural, the fact that she is the only representative from Missouri’s delegation to sit on the Agriculture Committee is notable.
The Congresswoman, who is 60, is described by those close to her as a committed and authentic Christian. In several instances, she has shared how prayer has guided her decisions concerning politics since she first entered office in Cass Couty.
“I did a lot of praying and thinking about [running for Congress]. I was very concerned about the direction our country was going in and the leadership in Congress and how our representative was casting his vote with Nancy Pelosi and policies that we did not believe in here in Missouri,” Hartzler stated back in April. “I felt like it was time to step back in and make a difference.”
Hartzler is a former public school educator in home economics and with her husband runs a farm in Cass County. Their crops include soybeans and corn and raise corn, soybeans, and they raise cattle. She and her husband Lowell have one daughter whom they adopted.
“There’s no one in Congress who loves their district more than her,” Eric Bohl, her former chief of staff, said. “She absolutely loves where she comes from and the people she represents. That goes a long way. She’s not someone who plays politics a lot, and I think there’s a lot of value to that. [Hartzler] is someone we don’t have enough of these days in Washington.”
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
