Former Fox 4 anchor Mark Alford wins GOP primary to succeed Hartzler in Congress

Former Fox 4 anchor Mark Alford defeated a crowded field of opponents Tuesday in the Republican primary race to fill U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler’s seat in Congress, a victory fueled by Alford’s name recognition and his appeals to strict social conservative rhetoric.

Alford, who spent two decades in television, centered his campaign around being a strong conservative voice for the mostly rural district. While money poured into his campaign throughout most of the race, he still trailed former Boone County Clerk Taylor Burks in individual fundraising.

“I’ve overwhelmed by the support and the trust the people of the 4th Congressional District have in me to be the loudest, strongest, most unwavering conservative voice,” Alford told The Star Tuesday evening. “It’s about listening to the people and taking their story to Washington and the national media.”

Much of Alford’s campaign focused on social conservative issues like gun control, COVID-19 mandates and border security. While he touted a previous visit to the southern border with Mexico to promote national security, Alford mostly focused on issues at home during his campaign.

Alford, like Hartzler, does not have any military experience.

The Associated Press called the race for Alford at 10 p.m. According to the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office, Alford had 36% of the vote with 327 of 353 precincts reporting.

In the general election in November, Alford will face Democrat Jack Truman, a resident of Lamar in southwest Missouri and creative director of a film company, and Libertarian Randy Langkraehr, a medical technician from Warrensburg.

Democrats held the 4th Congressional District from the 1950s until 2010 when Hartzler, a Republican, first won the seat as part of a national GOP wave. It has since become a safe seat for Republicans as Missouri has shifted to the right.

Alford will likely try to succeed Hartzler in serving on the powerful House Armed Services Committee, which funds the U.S. Department of Defense.

The committee has been key for the district, which stretches from the Kansas City metro to central Missouri. It houses the state’s two largest military bases: Whiteman Air Force Base in Johnson County and the U.S. Army’s Fort Leonard Wood in the Ozarks.

The hotly contested primary included Burks, cattle farmer Kalena Bruce, state Sen. Rick Brattin, former St. Louis Blues player Jim Campbell, retired police officer Bill Irwin and entrepreneur Kyle LaBrue.

Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican, came in second with 21% of the vote. Bruce came in third with 14%.

The race was largely defined by its crowded field of candidates who each tried to distance themselves from the pack. Hartzler’s decision to run for U.S. Senate left the seat open, allowing for seven Republicans to enter the fray.

However, only four of the seven debated each other in public: Alford, Brattin, Bruce and Burks.

Throughout the campaign, the candidates made appeals to the district’s large farming base and other key Hartzler constituencies like anti-abortion advocates.

The race also became bitter at times. The candidates traded jabs over immigration reform and national security. Bruce in March called on Alford, Burks and LaBrue to drop out of the race after the state’s new congressional map briefly carved their homes out of the district.

But no issue appeared to be more vital than gaining the support of the district’s strong military electorate. Despite his lack of military experience, Alford’s campaign promised to fully fund the military, improve veteran health care services and protect the state’s military bases.

The other competitive congressional primary was in southwest Missouri, where eight Republican candidates vied to fill U.S. Rep. Billy Long’s seat.

The Associated Press called the race for state Sen. Eric Burlison at 10:13 p.m. According to the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office, Burlison had 36% of the vote with 177 of 278 precincts reporting.

The Republican race featured former state Sen. Jay Wasson and current state Sen. Eric Burlison and Mike Moon. Also in the race were Alex Bryant, a conservative pastor; Sam Alexander, a CoxHealth emergency physician; retired Col. Paul Walker; Audrey Richards, a former independent write-in candidate; and Camille Lombardi-Olive, who has run for the seat in the past as both a Democrat and Republican.

Burlison will face business owner Kristen Radaker-Sheafer, the winner of the Democratic race, in the general election.