Republican Incumbent Sam Graves won the 2014 race for the United States House of Representatives in Missouri’s 6th district. Graves ran against challengers Democrat Bill Hedge and Libertarian Russ Monchil, neither of whom had previousy held political offices.
Graves was first elected to the House in 2000 and will now head into his eight term representing the sixth district, which is comprised of the northernmost part of the state, including a portion of Kansas City and several rural counties. Ballotpedia labeled the race as “noncompetitive” and Graves won by a margin of 37.1 percent, receiving 66.6 percent of votes total, according to Politico.
During his campaign, Graves stressed the need for spending reform in Washington and for a simpler tax code for families and small businesses. He also openly supported individual’s rights to own guns, a large military defense and he stated that he opposed same-sex marriage, abortion and the Affordable Care Act.
Graves began his political career as a Missouri State Representative in 1993 before being elected to to the Missouri State Senate in 1994, where he served until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives. According to ballotpedia.org, Graves is an average Republican member of Congress, meaning he tends to vote with the Republican Party on the majority of bills.
As a representative, Graves has served as chairman for the small business committee, which examines general small business practices and the impact large businesses have on small businesses. He also serves as a member of the transportation and infrastructure committee, which has jurisdiction over different modes of transportation, including highways, and other aspects of infrastructure, like disaster preparedness and response. Recently, one of the most notable pieces of legislation Graves put forth was the TRICARE Family Improvement Act, a bill that would allow dependents of military members to stay on their parents’ TRICARE health plan after age 26.
After winning the election Tuesday, Nov. 4, Graves thanked supporters. He also commented on the Republican takeover of the Senate, “If we take the Senate, it will be the number one priority . . . It will get back on track the way we need to be,” Graves said.