JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Thousands will head to Missouri polls for the Aug. 2 primary election. Candidates who pick up the most votes will appear as their party’s nominee on Nov. 8 ballots for the general election.
In the August 2 election, voters will select Republican and Democratic nominees for Missouri U.S. Senate, U.S. House and state legislature seats. Voters will also choose candidates for Missouri State Auditor, while some counties will also have various tax measures and political offices on the ballot.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on primary election day. To check your voter registration status and place for polling on the Missouri Secretary of State’s website, click here.
FOX 2 will be updating results throughout the election night as results return. For now, Check out some of the top races and how to get involved with voting in our latest guide.
U.S. SENATE
Candidates are looking to replace the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt in what could be one of the country’s most highly-contested Senate races come November. The primary’s field consists of twenty-one Republican candidates and ten Democrat candidates. One independent candidate is also running for U.S. Senate, but will not appear on a ballot until November.
Republican candidates:
Some Republican candidates have been pushing for an endorsement from former U.S. President Donald Trump. Though he has yet to officially announce a specific candidate endorsement in this race, he teased on his social media account that he endorsed “ERIC” in the race.
Former Gov. Eric Greitens and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt were both quick to claim they had earned his endorsement shortly after the post. Josh Hawley, the other U.S. Senator representing Missouri, has endorsed Vicky Hartzler.
A FOX 2 poll released in late-July, in conjunction with Emerson College and “The Hill,” showed Schmitt in the lead for the Republican nomination. According to the poll, Schmitt held a 12 percent lead over Hartzler, the next closest candidate. A FOX 2 poll previously released in June favored Greitens over both candidates, though the latest poll projections show his support dwindling.
Several candidates, including Schmitt, Hartzler, Billy Long and Dave Schatz, are currently holding office in various Missouri state office or state legislature roles. Mark McCloskey, who was photographed toting a gun during a protest in his St. Louis area neighborhood in 2020, is also among those running in the crowded field.
- Robert Allen
- Russel Pealer Breyfogle Jr.
- Dennis Lee Chilton
- C.W. Gardner
- Eric Greitens
- Vicky Hartzler
- Rickey Joiner
- Patrick Lewis
- Billy Long
- Darrell Leon McClanahan III
- Mark McCloskey
- Eric McElroy
- Bernie Mowinski
- Robert Olson
- Deshon Porter
- Dave Schatz
- Kevin Schepers
- Eric Schmitt
- Dave Sims
- Hartford Tunnell
- Curtis Vaughn
Democrat candidates:
On the Democrat side, Lucas Kunce leads candidates from both parties in fundraising just two weeks away from the primary election. According to one campaign-tracking website, Kunce’s $4.6 million raised is nearly $1 million more than the next candidate, Republican Eric Schmitt, and nearly double the next closest Democratic candidate, Trudy Busch Valentine.
Kunce, an attorney with 13 years of experience with the Marines, is also contested by veterans Ronald William Harris and Jewel Kelly. Trudy Busch Valentine, a longtime philanthropist, is the daughter of August Busch Jr., who grew the St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch company into one of largest breweries in the world. Despite limited political experience, Valentine recently picked up an endorsement from St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones less than a week before the primary election.
- Ronald William Harris
- Jewel Kelly
- Pat Kelly
- Lucas Kunce
- Lewis Rolen
- Gena Ross
- John Shipp
- Clarence Taylor
- Spencer Toder
- Trudy Busch Valentine
- Carla Coffee Wright
Independent candidate:
The only independent candidate running recently picked up enough signatures to qualify for a run in mid-July. John Wood, who recently served as a senior investigator on the U.S. House committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021 riot, will make an independent run. Wood is an attorney who held key roles in the George W. Bush administration. Independent candidates, like Wood, do not appear on the primary ballot, but will be eligible for votes on the general election ballot in November.
ST. LOUIS CITY AND COUNTY
Two of the bigger races include a special election to replace John Collins Muhammad, who resigned amid a corruption scandal and the primary election for St. Louis County Executive, a role currently held by Sam Page.
St. Louis City Alderman Ward 21 (Special election)
- Democrat: Laura Keys
- Republican: No candidates
- Independent: Joann Dyason Williams, Melinda Long, Ebony Moore
St. Louis City Recorder of Deeds
- Green Party: Jerome Bauer, Don Devivo
St. Louis County Executive
- Democrat: Sam Page (I), Jane Dueker
- Republican: Shamed Dogan, Katherine Pinner
St. Louis County District 1
- Democrat: Rita Heard Days (I), Terry Wilson
- Republican: No candidates
In St. Louis City, voters will decide on Propositions S and F.
In St. Louis County, voters will decide on Propositions A, M and V. Other municipalities around the county may have other propositions they are voting on in the primary election.
U.S. HOUSE
Candidates will be seeking their party’s nomination for five congressional district seats, three which include parts of eastern Missouri or the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Cori Bush, the first African-American woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri, is pushing for a second term to represent District 1. Bush has taken a lead role in fighting to extend the CARES Act eviction moratorium last year and has served on several judiciary committees during her tenure.
Ann Wagner is seeking reelection for the sixth time since taking over District 2 in 2012. Blaine Luetkemeyer, who represents mainly central Missouri and some north St. Louis suburbs, is also seeking reelection for a District 3 seat he assumed in 2013.
Challengers are also pushing for the 6th and 8th seats, which represents northern and southern parts of Missouri respectively.
Democrat (District 1):
Republican (District 1):
- Andrew Jones
- Steven Jordan
- Laura Mithcell Riley
Democrat (District 2):
Republican (District 2):
Libertarian (District 2):
Democrat (District 3):
- Andrew Daly
- Dylan Durrwachter
- Jon Karlen
- Bethany Mann
Republican (District 3):
Democrat (District 6):
- Michael Howard
- Henry Martin
- Charles West
Republican (District 6):
- Sam Graves (I)
- John Dady
- Brandon Kleinmeyer
- Christopher Ryan
- Dakota Shultz
Democrat (District 8):
Republican (District 8):
AUDITOR
Candidates are working for nomination to replace outgoing state Democrat Auditor Nicole Galloway, who is not seeking election in 2022. Galloway was appointed to state auditor in 2015 by former Gov. Jay Nixon and is the only Democrat currently holding a statewide political office through the end of her term.
Democrat:
Republican:
MISSOURI STATE CONGRESS
In the St. Louis Metropolitan area, candidates are seeking nomination for Missouri Senate Districts 2, 14, 22, 24 and 26.
In the St. Louis Metropolitan area, candidates are seeking nomination for more than a dozen Missouri House Districts. Those districts include ones in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and most surrounding counties.
HOW TO VOTE
For additional voting information and sample ballots, check with your county clerk.
What do you need to bring to vote?
You will need to show a form of ID. Acceptable forms of identification include a driver’s license, passport, college ID, or even a utility bill. If you don’t have an ID then you may cast a provisional ballot.
Where can I see results?
Download FOX 2’s app for alerts. Watch our coverage on-air and online to see the results as they come in.
