Former Fox 4 anchor enters race for Congress. ‘I just feel like God’s calling me’

Former Fox 4 anchor Mark Alford is running for Congress, joining a crowded Republican field to fill the seat held by Rep. VIcky Hartzler.

Alford announced his campaign on Wednesday, pitching himself as the strongest voice for Missouri’s 4th Congressional District.

“I don’t want to be a politician. My desire is not to leapfrog from one political office to the next … I just feel like God’s calling me at this time, kind of pushing me out the window and said, ‘You better start flying and here’s what I want you to do,’” Alford said on KCMO Talk Radio.

Alford left Fox 4 earlier this month after two decades in television, sparking speculation he would run for office. He said Wednesday he wants to use his voice and communications skills to “make a conservative voice even stronger in Washington.”

Hartzler is running for U.S. Senate, leading to a wide open primary in what is a safely Republican district. Alford is joining a race that already includes state Rep. Sara Walsh, former Boone County clerk Taylor Burks and cattle farmer Kalena Bruce.

Another candidate, former state Sen. Ed Emery, died in August. Ryan Johnson, a Cass County commissioner who was running, ended his candidacy in September.

Alford isn’t the first Fox 4 personality to enter politics. Former weatherman Mike Thompson won a seat in the Kansas Senate in 2018.

“We’re going to fight for what’s right,” Alford said. “I’ve had enough of the woke and broke, I’m ready to go stable and able.”