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Missouri's 6th Congressional District election, 2020

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2022
2018
Missouri's 6th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 31, 2020
Primary: August 4, 2020
General: November 3, 2020

Pre-election incumbent:
Sam Graves (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Missouri
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
Missouri's 6th Congressional District
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Missouri elections, 2020
U.S. Congress elections, 2020
U.S. Senate elections, 2020
U.S. House elections, 2020

All U.S. congressional districts, including the 6th Congressional District of Missouri, held elections in 2020.

Incumbent Sam Graves won election in the general election for U.S. House Missouri District 6.

Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
March 31, 2020
August 4, 2020
November 3, 2020


Heading into the election the incumbent was Republican Sam Graves, who was first elected in 2000.

As of the 2010 redistricting cycle, Missouri's 6th Congressional District was located in the northwestern portion of the state and included Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Clark, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Knox, Lewis, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Marion, Mercer, Monroe, Nodaway, Pike, Platte, Putnam, Ralls, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, Sullivan and Worth counties and portions of Audrain, Clay, and Jackson counties.[1]

Post-election analysis

The table below compares the vote totals in the 2020 presidential election and 2020 U.S. House election for this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

Presidential and congressional election results, Missouri's 6th Congressional District, 2020
Race Presidential U.S. House
Democratic candidate Democratic Party 35 30.8
Republican candidate Republican Party 63.3 67.1
Difference 28.3 36.3

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Missouri modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

  • Absentee/mail-in voting: Any registered voter could cast an absentee ballot (subject to a notarization requirement) in the general election.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

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Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Missouri District 6

Incumbent Sam Graves defeated Gena Ross and Jim Higgins in the general election for U.S. House Missouri District 6 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sam Graves
Sam Graves (R)
 
67.1
 
258,709
Image of Gena Ross
Gena Ross (D) Candidate Connection
 
30.8
 
118,926
Image of Jim Higgins
Jim Higgins (L)
 
2.1
 
8,144

Total votes: 385,779
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 6

Gena Ross defeated Ramona Farris (Unofficially withdrew), Henry Martin, Charles West, and Donald Robert Sartain in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 6 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Gena Ross
Gena Ross Candidate Connection
 
32.8
 
14,503
Image of Ramona Farris
Ramona Farris (Unofficially withdrew)
 
26.9
 
11,882
Image of Henry Martin
Henry Martin
 
21.3
 
9,393
Image of Charles West
Charles West Candidate Connection
 
15.7
 
6,951
Image of Donald Robert Sartain
Donald Robert Sartain Candidate Connection
 
3.3
 
1,447

Total votes: 44,176
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 6

Incumbent Sam Graves defeated Christopher Ryan in the Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 6 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sam Graves
Sam Graves
 
79.7
 
81,584
Image of Christopher Ryan
Christopher Ryan
 
20.3
 
20,826

Total votes: 102,410
Candidate Connection = 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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Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 6

Jim Higgins advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 6 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jim Higgins
Jim Higgins
 
100.0
 
431

Total votes: 431
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

There are no Pivot Counties in Missouri. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Missouri with 56.8 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 38.1 percent. In presidential elections between 1820 and 2016, Missouri voted Democratic 60 percent of the time and Republican 36 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Missouri voted Republican all five times.[2]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Missouri. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[3][4]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 43 out of 163 state House districts in Missouri with an average margin of victory of 42.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 43 out of 163 state House districts in Missouri with an average margin of victory of 42.3 points. Clinton won two districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 120 out of 163 state House districts in Missouri with an average margin of victory of 28.3 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 120 out of 163 state House districts in Missouri with an average margin of victory of 39.8 points. Trump won four districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+16, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 16 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Missouri's 6th Congressional District the 77th most Republican nationally.[5]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.00. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.00 points toward that party.[6]

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[7] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[8] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Sam Graves Republican Party $1,960,690 $1,655,930 $856,973 As of December 31, 2020
Gena Ross Democratic Party $10,170 $10,530 $1,836 As of November 23, 2020
Jim Higgins Libertarian Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.


Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[9]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[10][11][12]

Race ratings: Missouri's 6th Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

Candidate ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for 6th Congressional District candidates in Missouri in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Missouri, click here.

Filing requirements, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Missouri 6th Congressional District Established party 0 N/A $100.00 Fixed number 3/31/2020 Source
Missouri 6th Congressional District Unaffiliated 6,108 2% of all voters who voted for this office in the last election N/A N/A 7/28/2020 Source

District election history

2018

See also: Missouri's 6th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Missouri District 6

Incumbent Sam Graves defeated Henry Martin and Dan Hogan in the general election for U.S. House Missouri District 6 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sam Graves
Sam Graves (R)
 
65.4
 
199,796
Image of Henry Martin
Henry Martin (D)
 
32.0
 
97,660
Image of Dan Hogan
Dan Hogan (L)
 
2.6
 
7,953

Total votes: 305,409
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 6

Henry Martin defeated Winston Apple and Ed Andres in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 6 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Henry Martin
Henry Martin
 
41.5
 
21,677
Image of Winston Apple
Winston Apple
 
30.8
 
16,087
Ed Andres Candidate Connection
 
27.7
 
14,453

Total votes: 52,217
Candidate Connection = 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 6

Incumbent Sam Graves advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 6 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sam Graves
Sam Graves
 
100.0
 
89,595

Total votes: 89,595
Candidate Connection = 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

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 6

Dan Hogan advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 6 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dan Hogan
Dan Hogan
 
100.0
 
590

Total votes: 590
Candidate Connection = 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.

2016

See also: Missouri's 6th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Sam Graves (R) defeated David Blackwell (D), Russ Monchil (L), and Mike Diel (G) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Graves defeated Kyle Reid and Christopher Ryan in the Republican primary, while Blackwell defeated Travis Gonzalez, Edward Fields, Kyle Yarber, and Matthew McNabney to win the Democratic nomination. The primary elections took place on August 2, 2016. Graved won re-election in the November 8 election.[13][14][15]

U.S. House, Missouri District 6 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSam Graves Incumbent 68% 238,388
     Democratic David Blackwell 28.4% 99,692
     Libertarian Russ Monchil 2.3% 8,123
     Green Mike Diel 1.2% 4,241
Total Votes 350,444
Source: Missouri Secretary of State


U.S. House, Missouri District 6 Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Blackwell 28% 7,983
Kyle Yarber 24.9% 7,116
Travis Gonzalez 23.2% 6,623
Edward Fields 13.6% 3,881
Matthew McNabney 10.3% 2,931
Total Votes 28,534
Source: Missouri Secretary of State


U.S. House, Missouri District 6 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngSam Graves Incumbent 76.2% 62,764
Christopher Ryan 14.2% 11,686
Kyle Reid 9.6% 7,910
Total Votes 82,360
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

2014

See also: Missouri's 6th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 6th Congressional District of Missouri held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Sam Graves (R) defeated Bill Hedge (D) and Russ Monchil (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Missouri District 6 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSam Graves Incumbent 66.7% 124,616
     Democratic Bill Hedge 29.5% 55,157
     Libertarian Russ Monchil 3.8% 7,197
Total Votes 186,970
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

See also

External links

Footnotes


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
Bob Onder (R)
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
Republican Party (8)
Democratic Party (2)