Rick Brattin
Rick Brattin, a Republican Missouri state senator from the 31st district and Marine Corps veteran, is his party's nominee for Missouri's 5th congressional district in 2026 against Democratic incumbent Emanuel Cleaver.
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- Born
- July 22, 1980
- Birthplace
- Greenwood, Missouri
- Education
- Lee's Summit High School
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Rick Brattin, born Richard Ray Brattin Jr. on July 22, 1980, was raised in Greenwood, Missouri, and graduated from Lee's Summit High School. After the September 11 attacks he joined the United States Marine Corps, rising through the ranks to sergeant over six years of service.
Career
Brattin was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2010 and served three terms representing the 55th Legislative District, which includes Kansas City suburbs in Cass County such as Raymore, Peculiar and Lake Winnebago. In the House he sponsored measures including a 2013 bill on the treatment of intelligent design and evolution in textbooks and a 2017 bill to end tenure at Missouri's public universities.
Since 2021 Brattin has represented the 31st district in the Missouri Senate, which is composed of Cass, Bates, Barton, Henry and Vernon counties, and he is vice chairman of the Corrections and Consumer Affairs committees.
In 2025 he sponsored legislation to ban law enforcement agencies from purchasing Chinese drones and a bill expanding the Secretary of State's authority over ballot language, which the Supreme Court of Missouri struck down in January 2026.
In 2025 he voted for $1.5 billion in tax incentives for the Kansas City stadium deal and stepped down as chair of the Missouri Freedom Caucus a few days later.
In April 2024 he was sued for defamation by Denton Loudermill Jr., whom he had falsely identified on social media as the perpetrator of the 2024 Kansas City parade shooting. Brattin also ran for the 4th congressional district in 2022.
2026 race
Rick Brattin is the Republican nominee for Missouri's 5th congressional district, held by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver, who was reelected with 60.2% of the vote in 2024.
The district's boundaries changed between the primary and the general election, and the general-election district primarily consists of the inner ring of the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Brattin won a six-candidate Republican primary with 45.0% of the vote, ahead of former Boone County clerk Taylor Burks with 26.3%. In the general election on November 3, 2026, he faces Cleaver and Libertarian Randall "Randy" Langkraehr.