U.S. House, Missouri 7th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Missouri's 7th Congressional District?
Eric Burlison has the strongest record in Missouri's 7th Congressional District. Eric Burlison scores 59 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Missi Hesketh at 56, as of October 6, 2026. Eric Burlison's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Missi Hesketh's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Kevin Craig (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 · incumbent
Strongest record
Eric Burlison
On the ballot as Eric W. Burlison
59 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 38
Libertarian
Kevin Craig
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 2 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Democratic
Missi Hesketh
56 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 60
- 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.
Eric Burlison
- On the record2025-03
After protesters asked for in-person town halls, his office said he would continue virtual town halls, citing disruption by organized opposition groups; he held a virtual town hall March 26, 2025.
Kevin Craig
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Missi Hesketh
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.
Eric Burlison. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed with the House Clerk on April 1, 2026. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10074953, House Committee on Ethics site search, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00788414
Kevin Craig. No public record found.
Missi Hesketh. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 15, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed Sept. 9, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found. See notes on disclosure timing.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10082812, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00859140
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Eric Burlison. Has voted against his party's leadership on major measures, including the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act, the 2024 Ukraine supplemental, the 2025 GENIUS Act and the 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 243, 2023, Fiscal Responsibility Act, House Clerk Roll Call 151, 2024, Ukraine supplemental, House Clerk Roll Call 200, 2025, GENIUS Act, House Clerk Roll Call 45, 2026, Consolidated Appropriations Act
Kevin Craig. No public record found.
Missi Hesketh. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Eric Burlison. Holds virtual and telephone town halls, including a January 2026 telephone town hall; his office has declined calls for in-person town halls. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Kevin Craig. No public record found.
Missi Hesketh. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Eric Burlison. Served in the Missouri House and in the Missouri Senate from 2019 to 2023, and in Congress since 2023. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Springfield News-Leader, Aug. 6, 2024, House Committee on Ethics site search
Kevin Craig. No public record found.
Missi Hesketh. Former Forsyth city council member and mayor and a longtime educator. No formal conduct finding found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Eric Burlison. Has held sworn state and federal legislative office; took his House seat in 2023, after the January 2021 electoral count. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: GovTrack
Kevin Craig. No public record found.
Missi Hesketh. Held sworn municipal office as a Forsyth council member and mayor; no misuse-of-office finding found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Eric Burlison. Completed a full U.S. House term (2023 to 2025) and is in his second; previously served in the Missouri House and Missouri Senate.
Kevin Craig. No public record found.
Missi Hesketh. Former mayor and city council member of Forsyth with more than 20 years as an educator.
Sources: Springfield News-Leader, Aug. 6, 2024, Newstalk KZRG candidate profile
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Eric Burlison. Chairs the Oversight Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs and also serves on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Kevin Craig. Campaign site states broad positions, including abolishing federal agencies and government school monopolies; no detailed plans.
Source: Campaign site
Missi Hesketh. States general priorities: rural earmarks, automatic voter registration, mail and absentee voting and bipartisan immigration reform.
Source: Newstalk KZRG candidate profile
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Eric Burlison. Holds telephone and virtual town halls, offers an e-newsletter and publishes campaign priorities.
Sources: Newstalk KZRG, March 26, 2025, House office site, KSMU, Aug. 4, 2026
Kevin Craig. Publishes extensive issue essays on his campaign site.
Source: Campaign site
Missi Hesketh. Publishes a campaign site and stated positions in a local station candidate profile.
Sources: Campaign site, Newstalk KZRG candidate profile
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Eric Burlison. A Springfield native and Parkview High School graduate who represented Greene and Christian counties in the legislature. FEC by-state totals show about 44 percent of itemized individual contributions from Missouri.
Sources: House office site, Springfield News-Leader, Aug. 6, 2024, FEC contribution totals by state
Kevin Craig. No public record found.
Missi Hesketh. Graduated from Forsyth High School and served as mayor of Forsyth, in the 7th District. FEC by-state totals show itemized individual contributions only from Missouri ($2,320).
Sources: KSMU, Aug. 4, 2026, Springfield News-Leader, Aug. 6, 2024, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Eric Burlison. 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 C00788414
Kevin Craig. No public record found.
Missi Hesketh. 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 C00859140
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Eric Burlison. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.388 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
Kevin Craig. No public record found.
Missi Hesketh. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Eric Burlison. Missed 63 of 1,917 roll call votes, 3.3 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Kevin Craig. No public record found.
Missi Hesketh. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Eric Burlison. Lists district offices in Springfield and Joplin. No published casework totals found.
Source: House office site
Kevin Craig. No public record found.
Missi Hesketh. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Eric Burlison. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -2.03105 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 432 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Kevin Craig. No public record found.
Missi Hesketh. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Eric Burlison. No public record found.
Kevin Craig. No public record found.
Missi Hesketh. 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 7th Congressional District?
Eric Burlison has the strongest record in Missouri's 7th Congressional District. Eric Burlison scores 59 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Missi Hesketh at 56, as of October 6, 2026. Eric Burlison's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Missi Hesketh's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Kevin Craig (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 7th Congressional District in 2026?
Eric Burlison (Republican, incumbent), Kevin Craig (Libertarian), Missi Hesketh (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Eric Burlison a good candidate for Congress?
Eric Burlison scores 59 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 38 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Kevin Craig a good candidate for Congress?
Kevin Craig 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.
Is Missi Hesketh a good candidate for Congress?
Missi Hesketh scores 56 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 60 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
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.