Grayson Hunt
Grayson Hunt (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Missouri's 7th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
Hunt completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Grayson Hunt was born in Springfield, Missouri. He graduated from Glendale High School. His career experience includes working as an insurance agent, as a store and branch manager, and in sales.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Missouri's 7th Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House Missouri District 7
Incumbent Eric Burlison (R), John Casey (R), and Grayson Hunt (R) are running in the general election for U.S. House Missouri District 7 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Eric Burlison (R) | |
| John Casey (R) | ||
 | Grayson Hunt (R)  | |
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Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Grayson Hunt completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hunt's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Grayson currently works in the insurance and financial protection industry, where he focuses on helping working families secure life, accident, and supplemental coverage. As someone who understands the strain of rising costs, corporate overreach, and government inefficiency, he believes Congress needs leaders who know how everyday Missourians actually live — not career politicians disconnected from real problems.
Grayson is running for Congress to strengthen fiscal responsibility, protect individual freedoms, support small businesses, and make sure federal policies benefit the people of Southwest Missouri first. He stands for limited government, strong oversight of federal agencies, responsible budgeting, and a renewed focus on community wellbeing. His commitment is simple: put Missourians first, listen before acting, and bring integrity, pragmatism, and accountability back to Washington.- Economics & Affordability Families in Southwest Missouri are being squeezed from every direction — groceries, utilities, housing, and healthcare all cost more, while wages haven’t kept up. We need a federal government that stops wasting money and starts protecting taxpayers. My focus is lowering the cost of living by cutting unnecessary regulation, reducing federal waste, and creating an economy that rewards work, not bureaucracy.
- Accessible, Affordable Healthcare Too many Missourians fall through the cracks — they make too much for government programs, can’t get coverage through an employer, and are forced into overpriced plans that don’t meet real needs. Healthcare shouldn’t bankrupt a family. I support increasing competition, lowering premiums through transparency, and expanding access to dependable private plans so individuals and families can get real, affordable coverage.
- Public Safety Safe communities are the backbone of a strong economy and strong families. Missouri deserves law enforcement that’s supported, trained, and equipped — not undermined. At the same time, we need to strengthen mental-health resources, fight drug trafficking, and address rising crime with real consequences. I believe in protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens while ensuring every neighborhood has the security it needs to thrive.
Second, an elected official needs accountability. That means owning mistakes, being accessible to the people you represent, and remembering that the job is temporary but the impact is not. Accountability also means putting your community above party pressure, special interests, or personal ambition.
Third, I believe in fiscal responsibility and discipline. Every dollar the government spends comes out of a worker’s paycheck. Leaders should treat taxpayer money with the same care they treat their own — cutting waste, demanding results, and focusing on policies that actually help families rather than fund bureaucracy.
Another essential trait is courage — the courage to stand firm when something is wrong, the courage to break with your own side when your district is being ignored, and the courage to take on tough issues without hiding behind excuses. Leadership isn’t about pleasing everyone; it’s about doing what’s right.
Finally, real public service requires empathy and connection to ordinary people. Elected officials should understand real hardships: the cost of groceries, the stress of unpredictable healthcare bills, the fear of crime in your neighborhood. You can’t represent people you don’t listen to, and you can’t fight for a community you don’t understand.
Another key responsibility is oversight and accountability. Congress is the check on federal agencies, federal spending, and executive power. Members of Congress should be watchdogs, not rubber stamps. That includes demanding transparency from federal programs, eliminating waste and duplication, and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent effectively and responsibly.
A representative must also focus on passing laws that improve the lives of the people they serve. That means prioritizing affordability, public safety, healthcare access, and economic growth. Legislation shouldn’t be written for special interests—it should be written for families trying to make ends meet, small businesses trying to grow, and communities trying to stay safe.
Finally, someone elected to this office has the responsibility to defend the Constitution and uphold individual rights. That includes protecting free speech, the right to privacy, the right to bear arms, and ensuring government stays within its proper limits. Congress should safeguard freedom, not erode it.
The House also holds the exclusive power of the purse. Every federal spending bill, every tax measure, every major budget decision must start in the House. That gives it a critical responsibility to protect taxpayer dollars, control federal spending, and ensure the government is acting in the best financial interest of the people. It’s the chamber where fiscal discipline either exists—or collapses.
Another unique quality is its diversity of viewpoints. With 435 districts, the House represents the full spectrum of American communities—rural towns, suburban neighborhoods, cities, farming regions, manufacturing hubs, and everything in between. That variety forces national policy to consider real-world, local impacts instead of being driven solely by national party agendas.
Finally, the House is designed to be the nation’s first line of oversight. It’s where investigations begin, where federal agencies are held accountable, and where checks on executive power are most actively exercised. The House was built to be dynamic, fast-moving, and directly tied to public sentiment—and that’s what makes it such a vital part of our democracy.
There’s value in knowing how legislation works and how to navigate the process, but there’s equal value—if not more—in coming from the private sector, managing teams, solving problems, and dealing with the challenges families face every day. Washington already has plenty of career politicians. What it lacks are people with practical experience, fresh perspectives, and the willingness to question “how things have always been done.”
We also face a major challenge in global competition and national security. Countries like China are investing aggressively in technology, manufacturing, and influence. The U.S. can’t afford to fall behind. We need secure supply chains, stronger cybersecurity, and a workforce prepared for the economy of the future—not the one from 30 years ago. National security isn’t just military power anymore; it’s technological leadership and economic independence.
Another major challenge is access to reliable, affordable healthcare. Costs keep rising faster than wages, and too many Americans fall through the cracks—especially those who earn just enough to lose eligibility for government programs but not enough to afford quality private coverage. If we don’t address healthcare access and affordability responsibly, it will continue to drag down families and the broader economy.
Finally, we must confront declining trust in our institutions. Americans are tired of corruption, political games, and leaders who prioritize party or special interests over the people they represent. Restoring trust means strengthening accountability, increasing transparency, and ensuring that elected officials actually listen to their communities.
That said, the two-year cycle only works when elected officials actually stay connected to their communities instead of becoming insulated by Washington. The problem isn’t the term length—it’s when people treat Congress like a lifetime career and build political empires instead of staying grounded. That’s why term limits matter so much.
Congress should never be a lifelong career. Technology, healthcare, national security, and the economy are changing faster than ever. If our elected officials can’t keep up—or worse, aren’t interested in keeping up—they can’t effectively represent the people they serve. Fresh leadership brings fresh perspectives, newer skill sets, and fewer ties to special interests that have grown comfortable with the status quo.
Term limits also restore accountability. When members know they can sit in their seats indefinitely, they stop feeling urgency to deliver results. They start listening to lobbyists and party leadership more than their own constituents. But when you know your time is limited, you’re more focused on impact, responsiveness, and doing the job the right way.
I believe in democracy, and that means ensuring voters get the chance to choose leaders who reflect the moment we’re living in. Term limits don’t weaken democracy — they strengthen it by preventing power from becoming permanent and ensuring new generations of leadership can step forward.
My goal isn’t to follow in another politician’s footsteps. It’s to set my own standard of leadership: being accessible, being honest about the issues, putting the district first, and staying focused on practical solutions instead of party lines. If anything, I want to be the kind of representative that people look to as a new model—someone who listens first, speaks plainly, and works for the people who sent me there.
What struck me most was their concern for their kids. They weren’t asking for handouts; they were asking for a school system that teaches without indoctrinating, one that keeps children safe, supports teachers, and gives every student a real shot at building the future they want. They wanted transparency, accountability, and a stronger focus on practical education that empowers young people to enter any career they choose.
Compromise doesn’t mean abandoning your principles or giving in to bad policy. It means bringing different perspectives to the table and crafting solutions that make sense, improve people’s lives, and move the country forward. If a proposal is fiscally responsible, improves affordability, strengthens public safety, or expands opportunity for working families, then it’s worth working across the aisle to get it done.
Too often, Congress treats compromise like a dirty word. The truth is, nothing meaningful gets accomplished when both sides dig in just to score political points. I’m not interested in gridlock or theatrics. I’m interested in results. Missourians want leaders who stand firm on core values but are willing to negotiate the details to make sure a policy actually works.
For me, that responsibility translates into strict oversight and fiscal discipline. I would use this authority to push for clear, transparent budgets, eliminate wasteful or duplicative programs, and make sure federal spending actually benefits the people in districts like ours—not special interests in D.C. It also means stopping hidden taxes, protecting working families from rising costs, and ensuring that any revenue-related legislation is tied to measurable outcomes.
I believe this constitutional power exists to keep government growth in check. The Founders intentionally placed the power of the purse closest to the people so representatives couldn’t hide behind bureaucracy or long political careers. If elected, I would treat that responsibility seriously—prioritizing affordability, accountability, and real-world results for the families who are already stretched thin.
I believe the House should use its investigative powers to expose waste, prevent corruption, and ensure that government decisions are being made in the best interest of the people—not special interests, not bureaucrats, and not party leadership. When agencies fail, when spending goes untracked, or when policies hurt working families, the House has a responsibility to shine a light on it and demand answers.
At the same time, investigations should be fair, focused, and fact-driven. They should lead to real reforms, not political theatrics. Oversight is most powerful when it results in clearer laws, stronger safeguards, and better outcomes for the public.
But the part that means the most is what it represents: I’ve never waited for permission to step into leadership. I’ve spent my entire career pushing past outdated processes and bringing modern, practical ideas into workplaces that were stuck in old thinking. That’s exactly why I’m running for Congress now. Too many people in Washington are operating on “literal old” ideas that serve nobody but wealthy politicians and PACs.
At the same time, we cannot afford to let the federal government strangle technological progress. AI is going to drive the next generation of jobs, industry, national security, and economic growth. If we overregulate or tie states’ hands — like certain recent legislation has done — we risk losing American leadership to China or other nations that have no interest in playing fair.
So the right role is targeted oversight, not control. The government should ensure transparency in how AI is trained and used, require safeguards against fraud and manipulation, and strengthen cybersecurity to prevent foreign interference. Beyond that, innovation should be led by the private sector, research institutions, and states that understand their own economies — not by Washington bureaucrats who are a decade behind the technology.
I also support a nationwide voter ID requirement. It makes no sense that some states require ID to vote while others do not. Every American should have to verify their identity to cast a ballot—just like we do to buy certain medications, board a plane, or pick up a package. This isn’t about restricting access; it’s about creating a clear, consistent, and trustworthy standard across the country. And I would make sure states provide free, simple ways for every eligible voter to obtain an ID, because no one should be disenfranchised.
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Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate U.S. House Missouri District 7 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on November 14, 2025
