U.S. House, Missouri 4th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated October 6, 2026

Who should I vote for in Missouri's 4th Congressional District?

Mark Alford has the strongest record in Missouri's 4th Congressional District. Mark Alford scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Mark Alford's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Jordan Herrera (7 of 15 criteria) and Thomas Holbrook (3 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.

Republican · incumbent

Strongest record

Mark Alford

64 / 100

Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria

Character: 60
Qualifications: 75
Performance: 56

Campaign site Official office FEC filings

Democratic

Jordan Herrera

Not enough public record for a score

Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria

Character: 50
Qualifications: 56
Performance: NR

Campaign site FEC filings

Libertarian

Thomas Holbrook

Not enough public record for a score

Public evidence on 3 of 15 criteria

Character: NR
Qualifications: 58
Performance: NR

Campaign site FEC filings

The good, the bad and the unresolved

The record

The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.

Mark Alford

On the record2025-02-24
Held public town halls in Belton, including one KSHB described as his 100th, where protesters and constituents confronted him over federal layoffs; he said the event was hijacked by people from outside the district.
Sources: KSHB, Feb. 2025, ABC 17 News, Feb. 24, 2025

Jordan Herrera

No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.

Thomas Holbrook

No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.

Who they are

Character

Integrity

Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.

2 / 4

Mark Alford. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed with the House Clerk on Aug. 7, 2026, after an extension; his March 2026 periodic transaction report was filed 15 days after the trades. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.

Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076207, House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20034201, House Committee on Ethics site search, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00792598

2 / 4

Jordan Herrera. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 15, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found. See notes on the House candidate financial disclosure.

Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00899161

Thomas Holbrook. No public record found.

Courage

Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.

3 / 4

Mark Alford. Voted against his party's leadership on the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act, the March 2024 appropriations package and the April 2024 Ukraine supplemental.

Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 243, 2023, Fiscal Responsibility Act, House Clerk Roll Call 102, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 151, 2024, Ukraine supplemental

Jordan Herrera. No public record found.

Thomas Holbrook. No public record found.

Accountability

Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.

3 / 4

Mark Alford. Holds open in-person town halls; KSHB described a February 2025 Belton event as his 100th town hall, and he held another the same day at a Belton coffee shop.

Sources: KSHB, Feb. 2025, KCTV5, Feb. 24, 2025

Jordan Herrera. No public record found.

Thomas Holbrook. No public record found.

Temperament and judgment

Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.

2 / 4

Mark Alford. Worked 23 years as a Kansas City television news anchor and has served in Congress since 2023. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.

Sources: GovTrack, KCUR, Aug. 2, 2022, House Committee on Ethics site search

2 / 4

Jordan Herrera. Served in the Air Force from 2006 to 2022 and received several service awards. No formal conduct finding found.

Source: Ballotpedia

Thomas Holbrook. No public record found.

Fidelity to the oath

Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.

2 / 4

Mark Alford. Has held sworn office as a U.S. representative since January 2023, after the January 2021 electoral count. No misuse-of-office finding found.

Source: GovTrack

2 / 4

Jordan Herrera. Served in the U.S. Air Force from 2006 to 2022; no official finding of misconduct found.

Source: Ballotpedia

Thomas Holbrook. No public record found.

What they bring

Qualifications

Relevant experience

Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.

4 / 4

Mark Alford. Completed a full U.S. House term (2023 to 2025) and is in his second; before Congress, a Kansas City television news anchor and realtor.

Sources: GovTrack, Ballotpedia

2 / 4

Jordan Herrera. Air Force clinical engineer and functional manager at Whiteman Air Force Base for about 16 years; earned a law degree in 2024 and says he served as a Missouri assistant attorney general. Has not held elected office.

Source: Ballotpedia, Candidate Connection survey

Thomas Holbrook. No public record found.

Command of the job

Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.

4 / 4

Mark Alford. Chairs the Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations and is vice chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs.

Source: GovTrack, committee membership

3 / 4

Jordan Herrera. Published specific positions in his 2026 survey, including 48-hour congressional notice of military action, corporate ownership transparency for housing, livestock contract protections and data center rules on ratepayer costs.

Source: Ballotpedia, Candidate Connection survey

2 / 4

Thomas Holbrook. Campaign site states positions in general terms, including support for nonpartisan redistricting commissions and firearms and property rights.

Source: Campaign site, Where I Stand

Communication

Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.

3 / 4

Mark Alford. Holds town halls, offers an e-newsletter and publishes issue statements on his campaign site. Has not completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

Sources: KSHB, Feb. 2025, House office site, Campaign site, Ballotpedia

2 / 4

Jordan Herrera. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025 and 2026.

Source: Ballotpedia

2 / 4

Thomas Holbrook. Publishes a biography and issue page on his campaign site. No completed questionnaire found.

Source: Campaign site, Where I Stand

Roots in the constituency

Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.

2 / 4

Mark Alford. Lives in Raymore in the 4th District. FEC by-state totals show about 40 percent of itemized individual contributions from Missouri.

Sources: KCUR, Aug. 2, 2022, FEC contribution totals by state

Jordan Herrera. No public record found.

3 / 4

Thomas Holbrook. Says his family moved to Missouri for an assignment at Whiteman Air Force Base and he grew up outside Leeton, in the 4th District.

Source: Campaign site, biography

Management

Can build and run an organization.

2 / 4

Mark Alford. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 15, 2026, with no administrative fine.

Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00792598

2 / 4

Jordan Herrera. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 15, 2026, with no administrative fine and no debt.

Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00899161

Thomas Holbrook. No public record found.

What they deliver

Performance

Results

Turns ideas into outcomes.

1 / 4

Mark Alford. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.534 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.190, below expectations. GovTrack lists no enacted bill he sponsored, so no E14 raise.

Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress

Jordan Herrera. No public record found.

Thomas Holbrook. No public record found.

Showing up

Does the basic work of the job.

4 / 4

Mark Alford. Missed 19 of 1,917 roll call votes, 1.0 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.

Source: GovTrack, missed votes

Jordan Herrera. No public record found.

Thomas Holbrook. No public record found.

Constituent service

Solves problems for the people they represent.

2 / 4

Mark Alford. Lists district offices in Columbia and Raymore. No published casework totals found.

Source: House office site

Jordan Herrera. No public record found.

Thomas Holbrook. No public record found.

Coalition building

Wins support beyond their own faction.

2 / 4

Mark Alford. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.54945 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 233 of 436.

Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores

Jordan Herrera. No public record found.

Thomas Holbrook. No public record found.

Stewardship of public money

Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.

Mark Alford. No public record found.

Jordan Herrera. No public record found.

Thomas Holbrook. No public record found.

How to read this

Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.

A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.

No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.

Questions

Who should I vote for in Missouri's 4th Congressional District?

Who is running in Missouri's 4th Congressional District in 2026?

Mark Alford (Republican, incumbent), Jordan Herrera (Democratic), Thomas Holbrook (Libertarian). The general election is November 3, 2026.

Is Mark Alford a good candidate for Congress?

Mark Alford scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.

Is Jordan Herrera a good candidate for Congress?

Jordan Herrera has public evidence on 7 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.

Is Thomas Holbrook a good candidate for Congress?

Thomas Holbrook has public evidence on 3 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.

How is the strongest record decided?

The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.

More on this race: every Missouri race scored, and the Missouri 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.