In some respects, Missouri's candidate filing period went just about as expected.
Lots of candidates signed up to run for a slew of powerful county-based offices in the St. Louis area as well as open state legislative seats where winning the primary is tantamount to election. And in most cases, incumbents from both parties don't have much to worry about going into the November elections.
But that doesn't mean the end of Missouri's filing period on Tuesday didn't bring some surprises, especially after longtime incumbents pulled the plug on their reelection bids.
Here are seven takeaways now that the filing period for Missouri's federal, statewide, state legislative and county elections on Aug. 4 is over:
Graves' retirement shakes up other races
Easily the biggest news at the tail end of filing was Congressman Sam Graves' decision not to run for reelection.
The Tarkio Republican's departure means there will be a competitive GOP primary for the northern Missouri-based seat for the first time in generations. Some of the major contenders for the seat include radio host Chris Stigall and Kansas City Councilman Nathan Willett.
Willett's decision in particular sparked a domino effect on the western side of the state. He pulled out of the GOP primary to succeed term-limited Senate Majority Leader Tony Luetkemeyer, which in turn prompted state Rep. Mike Jones, R-Parkville, to run for the state Senate.
Whether the 6th District's general election is competitive depends on which congressional map is in effect. If it's the 2025 version that includes more of Kansas City in the district, then the November election could be closer than usual. If it's the 2022 version, Democratic chances of winning the 6th District could go from remote to nearly nonexistent.
Bush-Bell rematch
In the St. Louis area, the most high-profile and expensive Democratic primary will likely be the rematch in the 1st Congressional District between Rep. Wesley Bell and former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush.
Bell unseated Bush in 2024, thanks in part to a large influx of money from groups supportive of Israel. Whether the 2026 version of the race features as much spending remains to be seen. But it comes at a time where candidates associated with groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee have struggled with some Democratic voters.
As was the case in 2024, though, Bush and Bell's opinions about Israel may matter less to the 1st District's voters. That's because the district has a majority African American population, a demographic that typically places conflict in the Mideast low in priority within public opinion polls.
Crowded primaries in the 2nd District
One November contest that could be close regardless of how legal proceedings over Missouri redistricting go is the 2nd Congressional District.
Three Democrats – Fred Wellman, Joan VonDras and Timothy Bilash – are running in the primary to take on U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin. Wellman has raised more than $500,000 and secured high-level endorsements, while VonDras poured more than $260,000 of her own money into her candidacy. A fourth candidate, Nick Vivio, announced he's withdrawing but has not submitted paperwork yet to the secretary of state to depart from the contest.
Wagner is also facing four Republicans in her primary, though she is likely favored against all of them. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced it is targeting the 2nd District, though it is a few points more GOP-leaning under the newer congressional map.
St. Louis County field yields a big surprise
The last day of filing brought a big surprise in St. Louis County politics with state Sen. Angela Walton Mosley making a late entrance into the race.
The Democratic contest to succeed St. Louis County Executive Sam Page is now a three-way race among state Sen. Brian Williams, St. Louis County Assessor Jake Zimmerman and Mosley.
Meanwhile, state Rep. Doug Clemens, former state Rep. Tommie Pierson Jr., and Joe Camerer are squaring off in the Democratic race to succeed Zimmerman. And Democratic St. Louis County Prosecutor Melissa Price Smith will face David Bryant in her bid for a full four-year term.
Meanwhile, the only competitive St. Louis County Council primary is in the 1st District. Councilwoman Rita Days will need to defeat Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones and former state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal in the Democratic primary to continue representing the mid and north St. Louis County district.
A St. Charles County race with 2028 implications
Three Republicans signed up to run for St. Charles County executive: incumbent Steve Ehlmann, former state Sen. Bill Eigel and former Lake Saint Louis Mayor Jason Law.
This primary could be a rare example of a local race having statewide implications. Allies of Gov. Mike Kehoe will likely work against Eigel, who lost to the GOP chief executive in an expensive 2024 gubernatorial primary. But efforts to prevent Eigel from having a high-profile office to launch another gubernatorial run could be complicated if Ehlmann and Law remain in the race.
Beyond the 2028 impact, the GOP primary could be an unusual case with three strong candidates. All three have raised significant amounts of money, while Ehlmann and Eigel have strong name recognition.
State Senate primaries take shape
At least two St. Louis-area state Senate seats will have highly competitive races where the primaries are tantamount to election.
State Rep. Steve Butz, D-St. Louis, will face former state Rep. Gina Mitten, D-Richmond Heights, in the Democratic primary to succeed retiring state Sen. Karla May. Mitten is perhaps the strongest St. Louis County-based candidate ever to run for the seat that's historically elected city residents.
Four Democrats – state Rep. Raychel Proudie, former state Rep. John Bowman, Joe Palm and Shante Duncan – are running in the Democratic primary to succeed Williams. The winner will be heavily favored to represent the seat that includes scores of municipalities in mid and north St. Louis County.
Perhaps the most surprising outcome is in Jefferson County, where former state Rep. Jim Avery is essentially getting a free pass in the GOP primary for the 22nd Senate District. Several Jefferson County Republicans who were running for the seat either chose to seek other offices or run for reelection, meaning that Avery will face Democrat Jeff Abney in the fall.
A recorder of deeds race
St. Louis voters will get to experience something that hasn't occurred in decades: a wide-open race for the recorder of deeds office.
After incumbent Michael Butler's decision to retire, four Democrats stepped up to succeed him: Alderman Shane Cohn, Democratic committeewoman Patricia Ellison-Brown, Anthony Brandon Jr. and Bobby Bailey.
It's been years since an incumbent recorder of deeds wasn't on the ballot. Sharon Carpenter was appointed to the post in 1980 and eventually lost to Butler in 2018.
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