National Democrats are targeting Missouri. Will their support be enough?

Jack Harvel, The Kansas City Star on Aug 19, 2026

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the national campaign arm of the Democratic Party, announced it will target 16 competitive Missouri House and Senate races in an effort to break the Republican supermajority.

That includes four House seats and two Senate seats in the Kansas City area. The DLCC calls the 2026 elections a “once in a generation opportunity” to shift the balance of power across the country.

The DLCC’s support connects the candidates to a large network of donors throughout the country.

In Missouri, Republicans have held legislative supermajorities in both chambers for over a decade. Earlier this year, Ballotpedia ranked Missouri among the states most likely to do away with its supermajorities.

“Democrats are just five seats away from breaking the toxic supermajorities in both chambers and gaining the power to push back against these extreme and harmful policies,” Heather Williams, the group’s president, said in a statement. “The DLCC has thrown our support behind a strong group of candidates who are mounting strong campaigns and speaking to the real issues voters care about.”

Republicans similarly characterize Democratic policies as too extreme for the average voter and vow to earn enough support to hold on to their seats.

“House Republicans are committed to earning the support of voters like they strive to every election cycle,” Hannah Beers Sutton, executive director of the Missouri House Republican Campaign Committee, said in a statement. “Voters deserve common sense representation focused on real issues that Missourians face, not the radical extremism of today’s Democrat Party.”

Fundraising advantages

In each of the DLCC’s Kansas City-area targets, Republicans held a large fundraising advantage over their Democratic challengers at the last filing deadline on July 27.

In a Lee’s Summit Senate race, House Speaker Jon Patterson, a Republican, raised $639,098 and a PAC supporting him has over $2.2 million, compared to Democratic Rep. Keri Ingle’s $304,052.

In some races, the disparity in funds raised is stark. In a Senate race covering Kansas City, north suburbs and St. Joseph, Democrat Shereka Barnes had $2,967 to Republican Rep. Mike Jones’ $81,127.

The closest race on the target list is in Patterson’s old district, where Democrat Kevin Grover had $35,342 at the last filing deadline compared to Republican Jeff Martin’s $41,482.

Jake Kljaich, senior campaign strategist for Missouri House Democrats, said the support from the DLCC frees candidates up from fundraising responsibilities and gives them more time to connect with voters.

“The DLCC putting Missouri on its national target list confirms what we’re seeing on the ground: these are among the highest-stakes legislative races in the country, and Missouri is back on the map,” Kljaich said.

Senate President Doug Beck, a St. Louis Democrat, said the overwhelming defeat of Amendments 4 and 5, top priorities of Missouri Republicans, signals the end of the Republican supermajority.

“It’s not enough to just defeat bad policies; we must also defeat the politicians who put them front and center,” Beck said.

Breaking supermajority

Ending Republican supermajorities has been a long-time goal of Democrats in the General Assembly, but Republicans are still expected to maintain healthy majorities in the Show Me State.

The DLCC funding delivers much-needed support in a state where the House Republican Campaign Committee holds a large advantage over its Democratic counterpart. As of Aug. 1, the Republican committee reported $2.3 million cash on hand, compared with $364,648 in the House Democrats Action Fund.

The DLCC announcement comes just a week after Will of the People PAC announced a $1 million statewide investment in races against lawmakers that overturned laws passed via direct democracy.

Republican lawmakers stripped guaranteed paid sick leave and placed a lawmaker-approved ballot initiative on the November ballot to re-implement an abortion ban.

While the DLCC’s contributions are largely financial, Will of the People PAC is seeking to leverage grassroots support. They’ve not identified specific races, but said they’re looking at districts where Democratic gains could sustain beyond the 2026 election cycle.

“We have been really building some strong leadership in the Kansas City region and places like Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit and Independence,” said Caitlyn Adams, executive director of We the People PAC.

But she also said they’ll seek support from outside the major metros that have typically been more favorable to Democrats.

“I think if Amendment Four and Five tell us anything, it’s that we have to be thinking outside of the major metros, and that, like, you know, it doesn’t matter where you’re at. There’s an opportunity here for politicians to do better,” Adams said.

The supermajority allows Republicans to override a governor’s veto without any support from Democrats. But with a Republican governor, its impact would be less useful than it has been in states like Kansas, where Republicans have used it to push through an agenda despite opposition from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

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