Who's In the Race

Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) faces Democrat Missi Hesketh and Libertarian Kevin Craig in the November 3 general election in Missouri's 7th District. The general election will use the 2022 congressional map, which differs from the map used in the August primary, according to Ballotpedia. ​

Burlison has represented the district since 2023, previously serving in the Missouri House from 2009 to 2016 and the Missouri Senate from 2019 to 2022, and working in the private sector as an investment adviser and software consultant. He won the Aug. 4 Republican primary with about 74 percent of the vote over runner-up Grayson Hunt, who received about 13 percent. Hesketh is a teacher and former mayor with more than 20 years of teaching experience, running to represent Southwest Missouri. She ran unopposed in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. Craig describes himself as a "Christian Libertarian."

What They Stand For

Burlison has supported a health-care plan he says would "expand access to care, lower costs for Americans, and responsibly fund these reforms," according to his official House website. No further positions were available on an accessible official House or campaign issues page beyond that statement.

Hesketh has proposed protecting Social Security, paid family and medical leave, and stopping grocery price gouging as part of her "Affordability for All" priority, according to her campaign website. She's also supported investment in rural education, workforce training, fair elections, and higher teacher pay, Medicare for all who want it, rural-hospital stabilization, and negotiating Medicare drug prices, right-to-repair, crop-insurance reform, and protecting U.S. farmland from foreign adversaries while opposing AI data centers; and releasing the Epstein files, banning congressional stock trading, auditing the Pentagon, and a lifetime lobbying ban for members of Congress.

Craig advocates religious values, limited government, free markets, and pacifism, and says he favors abolishing unconstitutional federal programs and bureaucracies, according to his campaign website.

The Money Behind the Race

Through July 15, Republican Eric Burlison had raised about $1.5 million and held about $958,000 in cash, roughly 29 times the cash on hand of Democrat Missi Hesketh, who had raised about $51,000 and held about $34,000. Outside groups spent about $12,914 supporting Burlison through Sept. 30, with the Freedom Caucus Fund as the sole spender, according to FEC outside-spending records.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Cook Political Report rated the race Solid Republican as of Oct. 9; Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it Solid Republican as of Oct. 11; and Inside Elections rated it Solid Republican as of Oct. 2. On Kalshi, traders gave Republicans a 97.83 percent chance of winning as of Oct. 15, while Democrats stood at 2.17 percent.

Burlison won the seat with about 72 percent of the vote in 2024 and about 71 percent in 2022. Republicans won six of Missouri's eight U.S. House seats in both 2022 and 2024. Donald Trump carried Missouri in the 2024 presidential election with about 58 percent of the vote.

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