# Missouri's 7th congressional district

Missouri's 7th congressional district consists of Southwest Missouri. The district includes Springfield, the home of Missouri State University, the Joplin, Missouri, metropolitan area, Missouri's 5th largest, and the popular tourist destination city of Branson. Located along the borders of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Northwest Arkansas, the district occupies part of the Bible Belt with a strong socially conservative trend. George W. Bush defeated John Kerry here 67% to 32% in the 2004 election. Republican John McCain defeated Democrat Barack Obama 63.1% to 35.3% in the 2008 election. Republican and Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney defeated Barack Obama 67.6% to 30.3% in the 2012 election. In the 2020 election, Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Joe Biden 69.91% to 28.93%. As of 2020, this district is the second most strongly Republican district in Missouri and is one of the most strongly Republican districts in the United States.
The district is currently represented by Republican Eric Burlison of Ozark.

## Recent election results from statewide races

| Year | Office | Results |
| 2008 | President | McCain 63% - 35% |
| 2012 | President | Romney 69% - 31% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 70% - 25% |
| 2016 | Senate | Blunt 64% - 32% |
| 2016 | Governor | Greitens 65% - 32% |
| 2016 | Lt. Governor | Parson 68% - 26% |
| 2016 | Secretary of State | Ashcroft 71% - 25% |
| 2016 | Attorney General | Hawley 72% - 28% |
| 2018 | Senate | Hawley 65% - 31% |
| 2018 | Auditor | McDowell 57% - 39% |
| 2020 | President | Trump 70% - 28% |
| 2020 | Governor | Parson 70% - 28% |
| 2020 | Lt. Governor | Kehoe 71% - 26% |
| 2020 | Secretary of State | Ashcroft 73% - 24% |
| 2020 | Treasurer | Fitzpatrick 72% - 25% |
| 2020 | Attorney General | Schmitt 72% - 25% |
| 2022 | Senate | Schmitt 68% - 29% |
| 2024 | President | Trump 71% - 28% |
| 2024 | Senate | Hawley 68% - 29% |
| 2024 | Governor | Kehoe 70% - 28% |
| 2024 | Lt. Governor | Wasinger 70% - 26% |
| 2024 | Secretary of State | Hoskins 70% - 27% |
| 2024 | Treasurer | Malek 70% - 26% |
| 2024 | Attorney General | Bailey 72% - 26% |

## Composition

For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties, townships, and municipalities:
Barry County (15)
    All 15 communities
Christian County (11)
    All 11 communities
Greene County (9)
    All 9 communities
Jasper County (22)
    All 22 communities
Lawrence County (12)
    All 12 communities
McDonald County (8)
    All 8 communities
Newton County (21)
    All 21 communities
Stone County (11)
    All 11 communities
Taney County (10)
    All 10 communities
Webster County (4)
    Diggins, Fordland, Rogersville (shared with Greene County), Seymour

## List of members representing the district

| Member | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history | District location |
| District created March 4, 1853 ||||||
| Samuel Caruthers (Cape Girardeau) | Whig | March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855 | 33rd 34th 35th | Elected in 1852. Re-elected in 1854. Re-elected in 1856. Retired. | |
| Samuel Caruthers (Cape Girardeau) | Opposition | March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857 | 33rd 34th 35th | Elected in 1852. Re-elected in 1854. Re-elected in 1856. Retired. | |
| Samuel Caruthers (Cape Girardeau) | Democratic | March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859 | 33rd 34th 35th | Elected in 1852. Re-elected in 1854. Re-elected in 1856. Retired. | |
| John W. Noell (Perryville) | Democratic | March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863 | 36th 37th | Elected in 1858. Re-elected in 1860. Redistricted to the 3rd district. | |
| Benjamin F. Loan (St. Joseph) | Union Emancipation | March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865 | 38th 39th 40th | Elected in 1862. Re-elected in 1864. Re-elected in 1866. Lost re-election. | |
| Benjamin F. Loan (St. Joseph) | Republican | March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1869 | 38th 39th 40th | Elected in 1862. Re-elected in 1864. Re-elected in 1866. Lost re-election. | |
| Joel F. Asper (Chillicothe) | Republican | March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1871 | 41st | Elected in 1868. Retired. | |
| Isaac C. Parker (St. Joseph) | Republican | March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873 | 42nd | Elected in 1870. Redistricted to the 9th district. | |
| Thomas T. Crittenden (Warrensburg) | Democratic | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 | 43rd | Elected in 1872. Retired. | |
| John F. Philips (Sedalia) | Democratic | March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877 | 44th | Elected in 1874. Lost re-election. | |
| Thomas T. Crittenden (Warrensburg) | Democratic | March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879 | 45th | Elected in 1876. Retired. | |
| Alfred M. Lay (Jefferson City) | Democratic | March 4, 1879 – December 8, 1879 | 46th | Elected in 1878. Died. | |
| Vacant | Vacant | December 8, 1879 – January 26, 1880 | 46th | | |
| John F. Philips (Sedalia) | Democratic | January 26, 1880 – March 3, 1881 | 46th | Elected to finish Lay's term. Lost re-election. | |
| Theron M. Rice (Booneville) | Greenback | March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883 | 47th | Elected in 1880. Retired. | |
| Aylett H. Buckner (Mexico) | Democratic | March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885 | 48th | Redistricted from the 13th district and re-elected in 1882. Retired. | |
| John E. Hutton (Mexico) | Democratic | March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889 | 49th 50th | Elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Retired. | |
| Richard H. Norton (Troy) | Democratic | March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1893 | 51st 52nd | Elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Lost re-election. | |
| John T. Heard (Sedalia) | Democratic | March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895 | 53rd | Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 1892. Lost re-election. | |
| John P. Tracey (Springfield) | Republican | March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897 | 54th | Elected in 1894. Lost re-election. | |
| James Cooney (Marshall) | Democratic | March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1903 | 55th 56th 57th | Elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Lost renomination. | |
| Courtney W. Hamlin (Springfield) | Democratic | March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1905 | 58th | Elected in 1902. Lost re-election. | |
| John Welborn (Lexington) | Republican | March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1907 | 59th | Elected in 1904. Lost re-election. | |
| Courtney W. Hamlin (Springfield) | Democratic | March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1919 | 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th 65th | Elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Lost renomination. | |
| Samuel C. Major (Fayette) | Democratic | March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1921 | 66th | Elected in 1918. Lost re-election. | |
| Roscoe C. Patterson (Springfield) | Republican | March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1923 | 67th | Elected in 1920. Lost re-election. | |
| Samuel C. Major (Fayette) | Democratic | March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1929 | 68th 69th 70th | Elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Lost re-election. | |
| John W. Palmer (Sedalia) | Republican | March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1931 | 71st | Elected in 1928. Lost re-election. | |
| Samuel C. Major (Fayette) | Democratic | March 4, 1931 – July 28, 1931 | 72nd | Elected in 1930. Died. | |
| Vacant | Vacant | July 28, 1931 – September 29, 1931 | 72nd | | |
| Robert D. Johnson (Marshall) | Democratic | September 29, 1931 – March 3, 1933 | 72nd | Elected to finish Major's term. Redistricted to at-large and lost renomination. | |
| District inactive | District inactive | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935 | 73rd | All representatives elected at-large on a general ticket | |
| Dewey Short (Galena) | Republican | January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1957 | 74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th | Elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Lost re-election. | |
| Charles H. Brown (Springfield) | Democratic | January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1961 | 85th 86th | Elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Lost re-election. | |
| Durward G. Hall (Springfield) | Republican | January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1973 | 87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd | Elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Retired. | |
| Gene Taylor (Sarcoxie) | Republican | January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1989 | 93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th | Elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Retired. | 1973–1983 [data missing] |
| Gene Taylor (Sarcoxie) | Republican | January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1989 | 93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th | Elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Retired. | 1983–1993 [data missing] |
| Mel Hancock (Springfield) | Republican | January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1997 | 101st 102nd 103rd 104th | Elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Retired. | 1983–1993 [data missing] |
| Mel Hancock (Springfield) | Republican | January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1997 | 101st 102nd 103rd 104th | Elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Retired. | 1993–2003 [data missing] |
| Roy Blunt (Springfield) | Republican | January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2011 | 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th | Elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. | 1993–2003 [data missing] |
| Roy Blunt (Springfield) | Republican | January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2011 | 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th | Elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. | 2003–2013 |
| Billy Long (Springfield) | Republican | January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2023 | 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th | Elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Retired to run for U.S. senator. | 2003–2013 |
| Billy Long (Springfield) | Republican | January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2023 | 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th | Elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Retired to run for U.S. senator. | 2013–2023 |
| Eric Burlison (Ozark) | Republican | January 3, 2023 – present | 118th 119th | Elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024. | 2023–present |

## Geography
### Counties

There are a total of 10 counties included in MO-07.
| Barry Christian Greene Jasper Lawrence | McDonald Newton Stone Taney Webster (parts) |

### Largest cities

The 10 largest cities in MO-07 are as follows.
| Rank | City | County | Population (2010) | Population (2015 Estimates) |
| 1 | Springfield | Greene/Christian | 159,498 | 166,810 |
| 2 | Joplin | Jasper/Newton | 50,150 | 51,818 |
| 3 | Nixa | Christian | 19,022 | 20,984 |
| 4 | Ozark | Christian | 17,820 | 19,120 |
| 5 | Republic | Christian/Greene | 14,751 | 16,005 |
| 6 | Carthage | Jasper | 14,378 | 14,319 |
| 7 | Neosho | Newton | 11,835 | 12,156 |
| 8 | Branson | Taney/Stone | 10,520 | 11,431 |
| 9 | Webb City | Jasper | 10,996 | 11,165 |
| 10 | Bolivar | Polk | 10,325 | 10,714 |

### Median household incomes

| Rank | County | Income (2008) |
| 1 | Christian | $50,200 |
| 2 | Greene | $44,185 |
| 3 | Newton | $43,872 |
| 4 | Stone | $40,487 |
| 5 | Jasper | $40,243 |
| 6 | Taney | $39,771 |
| 7 | Lawrence | $39,210 |
| 8 | Barry | $35,889 |
| 9 | McDonald | $33,448 |

### Median family incomes

| Rank | County | Income (2008) |
| 1 | Christian | $58,806 |
| 2 | Greene | $56,047 |
| 3 | Newton | $51,178 |
| 4 | Jasper | $49,007 |
| 5 | Taney | $47,664 |
| 6 | Stone | $46,675 |
| 7 | Lawrence | $45,843 |
| 8 | Barry | $41,861 |
| 9 | McDonald | $38,848 |

## Election results

United States House of Representatives elections, 1998 Missouri 7th :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Roy Blunt (incumbent) | 129,746 | 72.6% |
| | Democratic | Marc Perkel | 43,146 | 24.3% |
| | Libertarian | Mike Harman | 5,639 | 3.2% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 178,801 | 100% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 80,691 | 45.1% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | |
United States House of Representatives elections, 2002 Missouri 7th :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Roy Blunt (incumbent) | 149,519 | 74.81% |
| | Democratic | Roland Roy Lapham | 45,964 | 23.00% |
| | Libertarian | Douglas Andrew Burlison | 4,378 | 2.19% |
| | Other | Steven L. Reed | 2 | 0.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 199,863 | 100% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | |
United States House of Representatives elections, 2004 Missouri 7th :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Roy Blunt (incumbent) | 210,080 | 70.45% |
| | Democratic | Jim Newberry | 84,356 | 28.29% |
| | Libertarian | James K. Craig | 2,767 | 0.93% |
| | Constitution | Steve Alger | 1,002 | 0.34% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 298,205 | 100% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | |
United States House of Representatives elections, 2006 Missouri 7th :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Roy Blunt (incumbent) | 160,942 | 66.75% |
| | Democratic | Jack Truman | 75,592 | 30.11% |
| | Libertarian | Kevin Craig | 7,566 | 3.14% |
| | Other | Glenn Miller | 23 | 0.01% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 241,123 | 100% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | |
United States House of Representatives elections, 2008 Missouri 7th :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Roy Blunt (incumbent) | 219,016 | 67.76% |
| | Democratic | Richard Monroe | 91,010 | 28.16% |
| | Libertarian | Kevin Craig | 6,971 | 2.16% |
| | Constitution | Travis Maddox | 6,166 | 1.91% |
| | Other | Midge Potts | 49 | 0.02% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 323,212 | 100% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | |
United States House of Representatives elections, 2010 Missouri 7th :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Billy Long | 141,010 | 63.39 |
| | Democratic | Scott Eckersley | 67,545 | 30.37 |
| | Libertarian | Kevin Craig | 13,866 | 6.23 |
| | Write-In | Nicholas Ladendorf | 10 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 222,431 | 100.00 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | |
United States House of Representatives elections, 2012 Missouri 7th :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Billy Long (incumbent) | 203,565 | 63.9 |
| | Democratic | Jim Evans | 98,498 | 30.9 |
| | Libertarian | Kevin Craig | 16,668 | 5.2 |
| | Write-in | Kenneth Joe Brown | 9 | 0.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 318,740 | 100.0 | |
| Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| | Republican hold | Swing | | |
United States House of Representatives elections, 2014 Missouri 7th :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Billy Long (incumbent) | 104,054 | 63.46 |
| | Democratic | Jim Evans | 47,282 | 28.84 |
| | Libertarian | Kevin Craig | 12,584 | 7.68 |
| | Write-Ins | | 37 | 0.02 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 163,957 | 100 | |
| Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| | Republican hold | Swing | | |
United States House of Representatives elections, 2016 Missouri 7th :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Billy Long (incumbent) | 228,001 | 67.56 |
| | Democratic | Genevieve Williams | 92,390 | 27.38 |
| | Libertarian | Benjamin T. Brixey | 17,076 | 5.06 |
| | Write-in | Amber Thomsen | 23 | 0.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 337,490 | 100 | |
| Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |
United States House of Representatives elections, 2018 Missouri 7th :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Billy Long (incumbent) | 196,343 | 66.2 |
| | Democratic | Jamie Schoolcraft | 89,190 | 30.1 |
| | Libertarian | Ben Brixey | 10,920 | 3.7 |
| | Independent | Shawn Deines (write-in) | 2 | 0.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 296,455 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |
United States House of Representatives elections, 2020 Missouri 7th :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Billy Long (incumbent) | 254,318 | 68.9 |
| | Democratic | Teresa Montseny | 98,111 | 26.6 |
| | Libertarian | Kevin Craig | 15,573 | 4.2 |
| | Independent | Audrey Richards (write-in) | 1,279 | 0.3 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 2 | 0.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 454,339 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### Prior elections

The table below shows how individual counties in MO-07 voted in the 2008 presidential election. U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) swept the district with 63.07 percent of the vote while U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) received 35.39 percent, a 27.68-percent margin of victory for the GOP. McCain received less than 60 percent in only Greene County, where Obama may have been helped by the college subplot presence of Missouri State University.
| County | John McCain | Barack Obama | Difference |
| Newton | 69.42 | 29.32 | R + 40.10 |
| McDonald | 67.60 | 30.17 | R + 37.43 |
| Stone | 68.02 | 30.69 | R + 37.33 |
| Taney | 68.02 | 30.85 | R + 37.17 |
| Lawrence | 67.70 | 30.64 | R + 37.06 |
| Christian | 67.33 | 31.52 | R + 35.81 |
| Barry | 66.63 | 31.62 | R + 35.01 |
| Jasper | 65.67 | 32.62 | R + 33.05 |
| Polk | 65.39 | 33.24 | R + 32.15 |
| Greene | 57.06 | 41.26 | R + 15.08 |
The table below shows how individual counties in MO-07 voted in the 2008 Missouri Republican Presidential Primary. Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) carried every county in MO-07 over U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) and former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts).
| County | Mike Huckabee | John McCain | Mitt Romney | Difference |
| Taney | 55.89 | 25.90 | 14.17 | H + 29.99 |
| Polk | 51.33 | 25.28 | 18.65 | H + 26.05 |
| Christian | 48.46 | 24.37 | 22.75 | H + 24.09 |
| McDonald | 48.71 | 25.55 | 14.75 | H + 23.16 |
| Lawrence | 48.75 | 26.19 | 18.96 | H + 22.56 |
| Barry | 49.69 | 28.31 | 15.33 | H + 21.38 |
| Newton | 45.49 | 25.95 | 22.82 | H + 19.54 |
| Jasper | 42.23 | 25.82 | 26.03 | H + 16.20 |
| Greene | 42.48 | 27.09 | 25.17 | H + 15.39 |
| Stone | 45.01 | 31.82 | 18.80 | H + 13.19 |
The table below shows how individual counties in MO-07 voted in the 2008 Missouri Democratic Presidential Primary. Former U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) carried every county in the district by convincing margins over U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois).
| County | Hillary Clinton | Barack Obama | Difference |
| McDonald | 68.39 | 26.00 | C + 42.39 |
| Barry | 65.52 | 30.47 | C + 35.05 |
| Newton | 65.55 | 31.46 | C + 34.09 |
| Polk | 63.81 | 33.28 | C + 30.53 |
| Taney | 63.69 | 33.74 | C + 29.95 |
| Lawrence | 61.58 | 34.86 | C + 26.72 |
| Stone | 61.76 | 35.17 | C + 26.59 |
| Jasper | 60.42 | 36.39 | C + 24.03 |
| Christian | 57.68 | 39.93 | C + 17.75 |
| Greene | 54.94 | 42.77 | C + 12.17 |
The table below shows how individual counties in MO-07 voted in the 2008 Missouri gubernatorial election. Former Attorney General and now Governor Jay Nixon (D) lost the district to his challenger, former U.S. Representative Kenny Hulshof (R).
| County | Kenny Hulshof | Jay Nixon | Difference |
| Newton | 61.85 | 36.29 | R + 25.56 |
| McDonald | 59.74 | 36.63 | R + 23.11 |
| Jasper | 58.61 | 39.42 | R + 19.19 |
| Jasper | 58.61 | 39.42 | R + 19.19 |
| Taney | 51.16 | 46.31 | R + 4.85 |
| Stone | 49.53 | 47.46 | R + 2.07 |
| Christian | 49.65 | 47.73 | R + 1.92 |
| Barry | 49.48 | 47.90 | R + 1.58 |
| Lawrence | 49.15 | 47.94 | R + 1.21 |
| Polk | 45.76 | 49.52 | D + 3.76 |
| Greene | 42.84 | 54.45 | D + 11.61 |