Jacob Turk

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Jacob Turk

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

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Jacob Turk (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Missouri's 5th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Turk completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Turk was previously a 2017 Independent special election candidate for District 8 of the Missouri State Senate. He was also a 2016 Republican candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 5th Congressional District of Missouri. He ran unsuccessfully for the same seat in 2012 and 2014.

Biography

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Turk is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. After he was honorably discharged, Turk attended college on the G.I. Bill and earned a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri in Kansas City while working two jobs. Turk started and ran a custom software business. He then worked for the National Associations of Insurance Commissioners as a programmer and analyst in their research department.

Elections

2022

See also: Missouri's 5th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Missouri District 5

Incumbent Emanuel Cleaver defeated Jacob Turk and Robin Dominick in the general election for U.S. House Missouri District 5 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Emanuel Cleaver (D)	61.0	140,688
		Jacob Turk (R)	36.4	84,008
		Robin Dominick (L)	2.5	5,859

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 230,555
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5

Incumbent Emanuel Cleaver defeated Maite Salazar in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Emanuel Cleaver	85.6	60,399
	Submit photo	Maite Salazar	14.4	10,147

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 70,546
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5

Jacob Turk defeated Jerry Barham and Herschel L. Young in the Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jacob Turk	51.8	20,475
		Jerry Barham	33.5	13,246
		Herschel L. Young	14.7	5,833

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 39,554
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5

Robin Dominick advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robin Dominick	100.0	589

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 589
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Missouri's 5th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

Incumbent Emanuel Cleaver defeated Jacob Turk, Alexander Howell, Maurice Copeland, and E.C. Fredland in the general election for U.S. House Missouri District 5 on November 6, 2018.

General election

General election for U.S. House Missouri District 5

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Emanuel Cleaver (D)	61.7	175,019
		Jacob Turk (R)	35.6	101,069
		Alexander Howell (L)	1.7	4,725
	Submit photo	Maurice Copeland (G)	0.7	2,091
	Submit photo	E.C. Fredland (Constitution Party)	0.3	876
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	5

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 283,785
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary

Incumbent Emanuel Cleaver advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5 on August 7, 2018.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Emanuel Cleaver	100.0	87,449

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 87,449
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jenna Squires (D)

Republican primary

Jacob Turk defeated Kress Cambers and Richonda Oaks in the Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5 on August 7, 2018.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jacob Turk	75.1	35,883
		Kress Cambers	17.6	8,423
	Submit photo	Richonda Oaks	7.3	3,467

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 47,773
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Brent Lasater (R)

Constitution Party primary election

E.C. Fredland advanced from the Constitution primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5 on August 7, 2018.

Constitution primary election

Constitution primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	E.C. Fredland	100.0	184

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 184
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Green Party primary election

Maurice Copeland advanced from the Green primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5 on August 7, 2018.

Green primary election

Green primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Maurice Copeland	100.0	315

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 315
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary election

Alexander Howell defeated Cisse Spragins in the Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5 on August 7, 2018.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 5

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Alexander Howell	56.3	512
		Cisse Spragins	43.7	398

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 910
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2017

MO Senate District 8

See also: Missouri state legislative special elections, 2017

A special election for the position of Missouri State Senate District 8 was called for November 7, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 19, 2017.

The seat became vacant on July 31, 2017, after Will Kraus (R) resigned. He was appointed by Gov. Eric Greitens (R) to the Missouri Tax Commission.

State Rep. Mike Cierpiot (R) defeated Hillary Shields (D) and Jacob Turk (independent) in the special election.

Missouri State Senate, District 8, Special Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mike Cierpiot	50.3%	12,852
	Democratic	Hillary Shields	42.6%	10,872
	Independent	Jacob Turk	7.1%	1,806
Total Votes				25,530
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

2016

See also: Missouri's 5th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Emanuel Cleaver (D) defeated Jacob Turk (R) and Roy Welborn (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Cleaver defeated Robert Gough in the Democratic primary, while Turk defeated Austin Rucker, Berton Knox, and Michael Burris to win the Republican nomination. The primary elections took place on August 2, 2016.

U.S. House, Missouri District 5 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Emanuel Cleaver Incumbent	58.8%	190,766
	Republican	Jacob Turk	38.2%	123,771
	Libertarian	Roy Welborn	3%	9,733
Total Votes				324,270
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

U.S. House, Missouri District 5 Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Emanuel Cleaver Incumbent	88.2%	48,755
Robert Gough	11.8%	6,519
Total Votes		55,274
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

U.S. House, Missouri District 5 Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jacob Turk	68%	28,096
Michael Burris	16.7%	6,898
Austin Rucker	10%	4,137
Berton Knox	5.2%	2,166
Total Votes		41,297
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

2014

See also: Missouri's 5th Congressional District elections, 2014

Turk ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Missouri's 5th District. Turk won the Republican nomination in the primary on August 5, 2014, against Michael Burris, Bill Lindsey and Berton A. Knox. He was defeated by incumbent Emanuel Cleaver (D) in the general election on November 4, 2014.

U.S. House, Missouri District 5 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Emanuel Cleaver Incumbent	51.6%	79,256
	Republican	Jacob Turk	45%	69,071
	Libertarian	Roy Welborn	3.5%	5,308
Total Votes				153,635
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

U.S. House, Missouri District 5 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jacob Turk	68.6%	24,615
Bill Lindsey	14%	5,020
Michael Burris	13.4%	4,797
Berton Knox	4%	1,453
Total Votes		35,885
Source: State of Missouri Official Results

2012

See also: Missouri's 5th Congressional District elections, 2012

Turk was defeated by incumbent Emanuel Cleaver in the general election. Turk ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Missouri's 5th District. He defeated Jerry Nolte, Jason Greene and Ron Paul Shawd in the Republican primary. The general election took place on November 6, 2012.

U.S. House, Missouri District 5 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Emanuel Cleaver Incumbent	60.5%	200,290
	Republican	Jacob Turk	36.9%	122,149
	Libertarian	Randy Langkraehr	2.6%	8,497
	Write-in	Andrew Feagle	0%	6
Total Votes				330,942
Source: Missouri Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

U.S. House, Missouri District 5 Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jacob Turk	58.9%	24,814
Jerry Nolte	25.5%	10,734
Jason Greene	12%	5,067
Ron Paul Shawd	3.7%	1,542
Total Votes		42,157

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jacob Turk completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Turk's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Jacob Turk is not a lawyer, nor a career politician, but someone who knows first-hand the challenges of operating a small business, is concerned with the plight of the urban core, has real solutions for the struggling working man and woman, and has served our country with honor and distinction as a U.S. Marine.

He believes if America wants to change the future direction of our country, Americans must change the kind of person they elect to Congress to represent them.

Jacob is proud to be a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, with secret clearance and an honorable discharge. He has a profound respect for all who have served and are serving, their mission, and the vital role they play in keeping our nation safe.

After completing his Marine Corps service, Jacob married and started a family. As a young father, he worked two jobs and attended college thanks to the GI Bill, earning a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.

As a small business owner for 12 years, Jacob knows, firsthand, what it’s like to struggle to make payroll for his employees, deal with government regulations, pay taxes, and work to make a profit.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• GETTING OUR ECONOMY BACK ON TRACK- LOWERING THE HIGH PRICES OF FOOD AND GAS. The American people are hurting due to the skyrocketing food prices and the soaring cost of living. Joe Biden’s polices, which Emanuel Cleaver has voted for every unnecessary spending bill, have forced the printing of money out of thin air. This creates inflation. Any economist knows when you print more money the price of food, shelter, clothes and gas goes up and up! Yet Cleaver insists the solution is to spend even more money. Wages cannot keep up with his out-of-control spending. We have to work together to get Cleaver out before he wrecks every family’s budget in the 5th District. Another cost-of-living issue besides food, gas, and electric is property taxes.
• PROTECT OUR BORDERS TO PROTECT OUR PEOPLE AND NATIONAL SECURITY Jacob Turk believes our family’s very lives are compromised with Joe Biden’s porous borders and ports. Fentanyl is the leading cause of death among our young folks, our sons and daughters we cherish. Covid, other illicit drugs, terrorism and criminals can all cross our borders as the situation stands now. It is time for our Federal government to do their job and secure our borders. 18-year incumbent Emanuel Cleaver has fought to have our borders completely open and amnesty for all using your hard-earned taxes. To protect your family let’s get Cleaver out and send Jacob Turk to fight for all of us.
• STOPPING VIOLENT CRIME AND FENTANYL “Defund the Police” hurt urban communities more than any other. Violent crime and homicide rates have reached historic highs in Kansas City and across the region. Fentanyl, made in China and trafficked through our southern border is the Number One Killer of Americans 18 - 45. Areas of Kansas City are so dangerous, even pedestrian deaths are at a record high as all the much talked about “infrastructure” funding seems to end up everyplace, but where it is needed most. Cleaver and Biden are watching the body count grow and doing nothing to stop it. It is literally more dangerous to simply walk down your street, than it has ever been.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about helping people.

We have an epidemic of human sex slavery in American. It must be exposed and ended.

As a Marine I want to ensure veterans are getting all the benefits they have earned.

As a caring American it is important all Federal government programs designed to help the people of the 5th District actually go to help them. I and my staff will be a watchdog over how the money is spent in the 5th District.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2016

The following issues were listed on Turk's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	Small Business Help and Support: Jacob Turk is committed to helping small business not only survive in America, but to thrive. He knows that small business is the job creation engine of America. As a former small business owner himself for more than 12 years, when Mr. Turk is your Congressman he will fight to reduce the burden of regulations that are squeezing the life out of independent businesses. He will also personally pick up the phone to intervene on behalf of Mom and Pop shops in our district who are unfairly being harassed by the Federal bureaucracies of the EPA, OSHA, and the IRS. Common Sense Healthcare Reform: Jacob Turk will work to repeal and replace Obamacare with a common sense solution that will provide coverage for those unable to do so on their own with no rate ups or turn downs for pre-existing conditions. That is all the American people wanted. Instead, with the help of Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, we got a government takeover of 1/5th our economy that was forced on a nation that did not want it. Protect our National Security and Sovereignty: Jacob Turk believes our national security is compromised with porous borders and ports. Ebola, drugs, terrorism and criminals can all cross our borders as the situation stands now. Once our borders are secured, Mr. Turk will work to fix our broken immigration system. Support our Military Forces and Veterans: Jacob Turk is a Marine veteran who will stand up for our men and women in uniform now and those who have served in the past. Less than 20% of those currently in Congress have served in the military, and it shows in the decisions in DC that affect our military and veterans. Mr. Turk will work tirelessly to address issues at the Kansas City VA. He will insist that there be a true national security interest before the blood of our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters is put in danger. The President must make a case and be prepared for victory when asking Congress to send troops or I will vote no.	”
—Jacob Turk's campaign website, http://www.turkforcongress.com/meet-jacob/

2012

On his campaign website, Turk listed eight issues. They were:

“	Economic Policy On his website, Turk said, "The American people are rightfully concerned that the policies of Congressman Cleaver and this Congress will collapse our economy. Expanding our obligations by $2.5 trillion with the passage of “Obamacare”, -- which my opponent Emanuel Cleaver supported -- is the latest example that career politicians just don’t understand what the American people want - and need- in economic policy." Life On his website, Turk said, "I believe that human life must be affirmed and that innocent life must be protected at all stages from conception to natural death. My most recent paid position before running for Congress in 2010 was with a women's clinic that provided free medical care and support for pregnant girls and women almost all of whom were below the poverty line." Taxes On his website, Turk said, "Unlike my opponent, Emanuel Cleaver, I support permanent tax cuts for working families. Citizens are much more efficient in their spending and charitable giving than the Federal government. I support making the 2003 tax cuts permanent." Term Limits On his website, Turk said, "Term limits, for both the House and Senate, are the answer. Representing the people was not intended to be a career, like my opponent Emanuel Cleaver has made it. In fact, when our representatives had real jobs and owned businesses, they brought to the halls of Congress a variety of perspectives to draw from, and they also had to live "under" the rules or regulations they created. Not so anymore. Those who make regulations that govern business refuse to comply with them themselves." Immigration On his website, Turk said, "The porous southern border MUST be closed, our northern border security beefed up, and our ports secured. For our southern border, I would insist that the 700 miles of double layer fence that was mandated by Congress in 2006 be built. Hospitals are overwhelmed, school resources are used up, our law enforcement resources are drained, and our prisons are overflowing in large part due to the waves of illegal aliens invading this country. Americans are paying BILLIONS of dollars, hand over fist, to subsidize the cost of 'cheap' labor, and allowing it to continue is a loss for our economy. I do not support any additional immigration reform until our borders are secured and illegal immigration is halted. When the fence is built and the border secured, we can move forward on retooling our immigration system." Marriage On his website, Turk said, "I support the traditional definition of marriage (one man, one woman). This position is shared by over 70% of Missouri voters who passed Missouri's Marriage Amendment in 2004." 2nd Amendment Rights On his website, Turk said, " As a Marine veteran, I am a believer in our individual right to keep and bear arms. In both 2008 and 2010, I was endorsed by the Western Missouri Shooters Alliance for my support of the 2nd Amendment." Healthcare On his website, Turk said, "Our country has the highest quality medical care in the world – yet ever climbing costs and lack of availability in many areas are hurting millions of Americans. “Obamacare” --, which my opponent supported – is already a disaster.. It must be repealed. Instead, to solve the health insurance access issue and control costs, I propose a patient-centered solution based on patient-owned Major Medical policies, tax-free Health Savings Accounts, public outreach health education, and health coverage which encourage disease prevention through lifestyle choices."	”
—Turk for Congress

Campaign finance summary

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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.

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Jacob Turk campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	U.S. House Missouri District 5	Lost general	$37,587	$36,844
2018	U.S. House Missouri District 5	Lost general	$83,486	N/A**
Grand total			$121,073	$36,844
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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Footnotes

[show]

Missouri's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Josh Hawley (R)

Eric Schmitt (R)

Representatives

District 1

Wesley Bell (D)

District 2

Ann Wagner (R)

District 3

Bob Onder (R)

District 4

Mark Alford (R)

District 5

Emanuel Cleaver (D)

District 6

Sam Graves (R)

District 7

Eric Burlison (R)

District 8

Jason Smith (R)

Republican Party (8)

Democratic Party (2)