2026 midterms · Missouri
Missouri 7th District
U.S. House · primary Aug 4, 2026 · general election Nov 3, 2026
- candidates
- 2
- Democrats
- 1
- Republicans
- 1
candidates advanced
Missi Hesketh (D) and Eric Burlison (R) advanced from the primary held on Aug 4, 2026. The general election is on Nov 3, 2026.
The candidates
Two candidates recorded as advancing from the primary. One incumbent and one challenger.
Status is the FEC’s: an incumbent holds the seat, a challenger runs against one, and an open seat has no incumbent running. The lab records a primary’s result once it is official; candidates who did not advance are no longer listed.
Democrats
Challenger · advanced from the primary · 589 statements classified · $50.5K raised
Republicans
Incumbent · advanced from the primary · 7,239 statements classified · $1.7M raised · official profile
Notes
House districts follow the candidates’ FEC filings; where a state redrew its map for 2026, a candidate may appear under their old district. A sitting member is placed in the race for the seat they hold now.
What they say
The candidates’ statements differ most on policy discussion: from 32% to 50%. Both candidates have 10 or more classified statements.
An AI model reads each statement and marks the kinds of statement it contains; each bar is the share of a candidate’s statements with that label. Incumbent members of Congress are measured on everything they publish in office, everyone else on posts on X. A rate describes what was said, not whether it was right.
How do the candidates’ statements compare?
Share of each candidate’s statements with each label; grey tick: median of ranked House candidates
Personal attacks
Median 2.5% · axis 0–60%
- Hesketh D9.3%
- Burlison R7.2%
Policy criticism
Median 15% · axis 0–60%
- Hesketh D13%
- Burlison R28%
Policy discussion
Median 58% · axis 0–60%
- Hesketh D32%
- Burlison R50%
Bipartisanship
Median 3.8% · axis 0–60%
- Hesketh D0.9%
- Burlison R1.4%
Credit claiming
Median 16% · axis 0–60%
- Hesketh D2.0%
- Burlison R15%
Show the data
| Candidate | Party | Statements | Personal attacks | Policy criticism | Policy discussion | Bipartisanship | Credit claiming |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missi Hesketh | D | 589 | 9.3% | 13% | 32% | 0.9% | 2.0% |
| Eric Burlison | R | 7,239 | 7.2% | 28% | 50% | 1.4% | 15% |
| Median, ranked House candidates | 2.5% | 15% | 58% | 3.8% | 16% |
The five kinds of statement
Personal attacks. Overtly questions a named person’s character, integrity or loyalty, or calls them names. Criticising a record or a policy does not count.
Policy criticism. Objects to a specific policy, law or court ruling with fact-based arguments, without personal attacks or emotional appeals.
Policy discussion. Discusses a specific public policy or policy area (health care, taxes, defense, …).
Bipartisanship. Emphasises working across the aisle, compromise or common ground between the parties.
Credit claiming. Claims credit for passing legislation, securing funding or grants, or other accomplishments in office.
Candidates with fewer than 10 classified statements are left out. The grey tick is the median of the ranked House candidates (50 or more statements), for scale.
Money
Reported receipts range from $50.5K to $1.7M. Both candidates have campaign-finance figures from the FEC.
Totals each campaign reports to the Federal Election Commission for the 2026 cycle: money raised, money spent and cash on hand at the end of the latest filing.
How much has each candidate raised?
Total receipts reported to the FEC, with cash on hand
- Eric Burlison$1.7M$962.4K on hand
- Missi Hesketh$50.5K$33.5K on hand
Show the data
| Candidate | Party | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | Debts | Individuals | PACs | Party committees | Own money | Candidate loans | Through |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Burlison | R | $1.7M | $1.3M | $962.4K | $0 | $1.3M | $309.3K | $0 | $0 | $0 | — |
| Missi Hesketh | D | $50.5K | $22.1K | $33.5K | $0 | $42.0K | $3,250 | $5,250 | $0 | $0 | — |