U.S. House, Missouri 5th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Missouri's 5th Congressional District?
Emanuel Cleaver has the strongest record in Missouri's 5th Congressional District. Emanuel Cleaver scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Rick Brattin at 61, as of October 6, 2026. Emanuel Cleaver's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Rick Brattin's highest marks are courage and relevant experience. Randy Langkraehr (2 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Rick Brattin
61 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 63
- Qualifications
- 60
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Emanuel Cleaver
On the ballot as Emanuel Cleaver, II
63 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 44
Libertarian
Randy Langkraehr
On the ballot as Randall (Randy) Langkraehr
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 2 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 38
- Performance
- NR
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.
Rick Brattin
- Mark against2024-02
After the February 2024 Chiefs parade shooting, reposted social media content falsely identifying a Kansas man, Denton Loudermill, as a shooter and an illegal immigrant; law enforcement never connected him to the shooting.
Sources: KCUR, April 4, 2024, KSHB, KCTV5, Oct. 8, 2025
- Unresolved2025-10-07
Defamation suit by Loudermill (continued by his estate after his April 2025 death) against Brattin and Denny Hoskins over the posts; a judge denied their motions to dismiss in October 2025. Pending.
Where it stands: Pending in Missouri court; motions to dismiss denied Oct. 2025; no judgment found as of 2026-10-06.
Sources: KCTV5, Oct. 8, 2025, KSHB
- On the record2026-09
Was a plaintiff with Rep. Bob Onder and two voters in a federal suit to keep the 2025 congressional map for November; the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the 2022 map.
Sources: STLPR, Sept. 21, 2026, PBS NewsHour
- On the record2024-01-23
Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, a fellow Republican, stripped Brattin and other Freedom Caucus members of committee chair posts after the caucus stalled Senate business.
Sources: STLPR, Jan. 23, 2024, Jefferson City News Tribune, Jan. 24, 2024
Emanuel Cleaver
- Credit2026-07-11
Sponsored the Innovation Fund Act, a grant program to increase local housing supply, whose provisions were enacted through the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act on July 11, 2026.
Source: GovTrack, H.R. 5938 (119th)
Randy Langkraehr
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.
Rick Brattin. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 15, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was signed May 15, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found. A false 2024 social media post is a Record item (E15, one).
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078520, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00939710
Emanuel Cleaver. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed with the House Clerk on Aug. 10, 2026, after an extension; the Clerk index lists no periodic transaction reports for him. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077708, House Committee on Ethics site search, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00395848
Randy Langkraehr. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Rick Brattin. Repeatedly opposed his own party's Senate leadership as a Freedom Caucus member; in January 2024 the Republican president pro tem stripped him of a committee chair and two vice chair posts after caucus stall tactics.
Sources: STLPR, Jan. 23, 2024, Jefferson City News Tribune, Jan. 24, 2024
Emanuel Cleaver. Voted against Democratic Leader Jeffries on the 2025 Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act (Yea) and the 2025 GENIUS Act (Nay).
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 68, 2025, House Clerk Roll Call 200, 2025, GENIUS Act
Randy Langkraehr. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Rick Brattin. No public record found.
Emanuel Cleaver. Spoke at a public KCUR town hall event in Kansas City in April 2025 and discussed the 2026 race on KCUR. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Source: KCUR, May 14, 2026
Randy Langkraehr. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Rick Brattin. A Marine Corps veteran, former Cass County auditor, four-term state representative and two-term state senator. No censure or formal conduct finding found; his 2024 loss of committee posts was a party leadership action (E3).
Sources: KCUR, Feb. 27, 2026, Ballotpedia
Emanuel Cleaver. Kansas City council member and mayor from 1991 to 1999, United Methodist pastor, and in Congress since 2005. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: KCUR, Sept. 23, 2026, House Committee on Ethics site search
Randy Langkraehr. 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.
Rick Brattin. Served six years in the Marine Corps and has held sworn county and state office. In 2026 he was a plaintiff in a federal suit seeking use of the 2025 congressional map (E21, stated flat). No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: Campaign site, PBS NewsHour
Emanuel Cleaver. Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electors; sworn mayor and House member with no misuse-of-office finding.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021
Randy Langkraehr. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Rick Brattin. Two terms in the Missouri Senate and four in the Missouri House, plus a term as Cass County auditor; Marine veteran and construction company owner.
Sources: KCUR, Feb. 27, 2026, Ballotpedia
Emanuel Cleaver. In the U.S. House since January 2005, now seeking a 12th term; former mayor of Kansas City.
Sources: GovTrack, KCUR, Sept. 23, 2026
Randy Langkraehr. Has owned and operated a tax and bookkeeping office, a real estate office and a marketing company; earlier worked as a medication technician and EMT. Has not held public office.
Source: Ballotpedia
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Rick Brattin. Has served on Missouri Senate committees and chaired the Select Committee on the Protection of Missouri Assets from Foreign Adversaries until January 2024.
Source: STLPR, Jan. 23, 2024
Emanuel Cleaver. Ranking member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance; sponsored 8 bills that were enacted.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Randy Langkraehr. No public record found.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Rick Brattin. Publishes campaign positions and discussed the race on KCUR's Up To Date. Has not completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020 to 2026.
Sources: KCUR, Aug. 11, 2026, Ballotpedia
Emanuel Cleaver. Offers an e-newsletter, took part in a public KCUR town hall in 2025 and discusses issues on local radio. Has not completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Sources: House office site, KCUR, May 14, 2026, Ballotpedia
Randy Langkraehr. Has not completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022 or 2026, and no published issue statements were found.
Source: Ballotpedia
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Rick Brattin. Lives in Harrisonville in Cass County, outside the 5th District under the court-restored 2022 map; KCUR reported he did not live in the district when he entered the race. FEC by-state totals show about 86 percent from Missouri.
Sources: KCUR, Feb. 27, 2026, Ballotpedia, FEC contribution totals by state
Emanuel Cleaver. A Kansas City council member, mayor and pastor for decades before Congress. FEC by-state totals show about 64 percent of itemized individual contributions from Missouri.
Sources: KCUR, Sept. 23, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Randy Langkraehr. No public record found.
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Rick Brattin. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 15, 2026, with no administrative fine and no debt; owns a construction company.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078520
Emanuel Cleaver. 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 C00395848
Randy Langkraehr. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Rick Brattin. No public record found.
Emanuel Cleaver. Center for Effective Lawmaking rated him Meets Expectations in the 118th Congress (LES 2.0 of 0.41 against a benchmark of 0.56). His Innovation Fund Act housing grant provisions were enacted in 2026 through the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 5938 (119th)
Randy Langkraehr. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Rick Brattin. No public record found.
Emanuel Cleaver. Missed 870 of 13,959 roll call votes, 6.2 percent, from January 2005 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Randy Langkraehr. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Rick Brattin. No public record found.
Emanuel Cleaver. Lists district offices in Kansas City and Independence. No published casework totals found.
Source: House office site
Randy Langkraehr. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Rick Brattin. No public record found.
Emanuel Cleaver. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.01953 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 339 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Randy Langkraehr. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Rick Brattin. No public record found.
Emanuel Cleaver. No public record found.
Randy Langkraehr. 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 5th Congressional District?
Emanuel Cleaver has the strongest record in Missouri's 5th Congressional District. Emanuel Cleaver scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Rick Brattin at 61, as of October 6, 2026. Emanuel Cleaver's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Rick Brattin's highest marks are courage and relevant experience. Randy Langkraehr (2 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Missouri's 5th Congressional District in 2026?
Rick Brattin (Republican), Emanuel Cleaver (Democratic, incumbent), Randy Langkraehr (Libertarian). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Rick Brattin a good candidate for Congress?
Rick Brattin scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 63 of 100, qualifications 60 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Emanuel Cleaver a good candidate for Congress?
Emanuel Cleaver scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 44 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Randy Langkraehr a good candidate for Congress?
Randy Langkraehr has public evidence on 2 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.