Missouri Democratic Party Celebrates Best Candidate Filing Period This Century
Missouri Democratic Party Denounces Governor Kehoe’s Plan to Shift State Tax Burden to Working Families, Seniors
March 31, 2026
The Missouri Democratic Party is celebrating the 2026 candidate filing period marked by the largest number of state or congressional level seats contested by a Democrat this century. This landmark achievement is one of the most pronounced markers of the Missouri Democratic Party’s infrastructure building project and of the national wave of Democratic enthusiasm that is sending shockwaves across the country – from Jefferson City to Washington, D.C.
The Missouri Democratic Party closed the filing period with 236 candidates filed to run at the state or congressional level. 183 out of 189 state or congressional level races have a Democrat running for them, or 96.8% percent of all races.
"This is what building back the Party and showing up for Missouri looks like," said Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Russ Carnahan. "Missourians from every corner of this state — rural, suburban, urban — have stepped up and said they are not going to let Republicans go unchallenged. We started this candidate filing period with a goal of giving Missourians – no matter where they live – the option to vote for a Democrat and hold the Republican Party accountable.”
While a record number of Republicans are retiring from Congress, a record number of Democrats are signing up to run in Missouri. Across the country, Americans are rejecting the chaos of the Republican Party. There have been 99 special elections since Donald Trump took office and Democrats have run ahead of their presidential election results in those races by an average of close to 13 points.
“What we’ve done here is really special, but this is just the start. The Missouri Democratic Party is all-hands-on-deck fighting arm-in-arm with everyday Missourians who are sick of the rising costs, corruption, and chaos brought on by the Republican Party,” said Missouri Democratic Party Vice-Chair Yvonne Reeves Chong.
“We have filed the largest percentage of contested seats this century because the people of Missouri are fired up and sick of the Republican shenanigans in Jefferson City,” said Matthew Patterson, Executive Director of the Missouri Democratic Party.
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Media Contact:
Tristin Amezcua-Hogan, Communications Director
