Biography & Campaign Analysis
2026 race
Chris Reichard, a construction worker, is the Democratic nominee in the 2026 election for Missouri's 8th congressional district, the most rural district in the state, covering southeastern Missouri, including the Bootheel, Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff.
The incumbent is Republican Jason Smith, who was reelected with 76.2% of the vote in 2024. Reichard won the Democratic primary with 54.1% of the vote against Frank Barnitz, a former state senator from the 16th district (2005 to 2011), who received 45.9%.
In the general election on November 3, 2026, he faces Smith and Libertarian nominee Rebecca Sharpe Lombard.