GOP race to succeed Rep. Vicky Hartzler draws first candidate: a former state senator

The open U.S. House race created by Rep. Vicky Hartzler’s decision to run for Senate has attracted its first candidate.

Former state Sen. Ed Emery, a Republican, said Friday he will campaign for the 4th congressional district seat.

“If, as a nation, we are to continue to enjoy the immeasurable blessings God has poured out from our country’s (earliest) and miraculous beginnings there must be a return to those freedoms and eternal truths that have born us this far,” Emery wrote on Facebook. “With that as my vision I am to declaring my intention to run for the U.S. Congress – 4th District.”

Emery, 71, first won election to the Missouri Senate in 2012 and left when his final term ended at the beginning of 2021. He was also previously a state representative.

He previously worked in the oil and gas industry and lives in Lamar.

Rep. Sara Walsh and Sen. Rick Brattin have both said they are considering running to succeed Hartzler, who first won election to the U.S. House in 2010.