| State: | Missouri |
| District Number: | 6 |
| Image Caption: | Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 |
| Representative: | Sam Graves |
| Party: | Republican |
| Residence: | Tarkio |
| Population: | 785,446 |
| Population Year: | 2023 |
| Median Income: | $71,515[1] |
| Percent White: | 86.2 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 3.8 |
| Percent Black: | 3.5 |
| Percent Asian: | 1.0 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 4.6 |
| Percent Other Race: | 0.8 |
| Cpvi: | R+21[2] |
Missouri's 6th congressional district takes in a large swath of land in northern Missouri, stretching across nearly the entire width of the state from Kansas to Illinois. Its largest voting population is centered in the northern portion of the Kansas City metropolitan area and the town of St. Joseph. The district includes much of Kansas City north of the Missouri River (including Kansas City International Airport).
The district takes in all or parts of the following counties: Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, De Kalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Jackson, Knox, Lewis, Lincoln, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Marion, Mercer, Monroe, Nodaway, Pike, Platte, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, Sullivan, Worth.
Notable representatives from the district include governors John Smith Phelps and Austin A. King as well as Kansas City Mayor Robert T. Van Horn. In 1976, Jerry Litton was killed on election night as he flew to a victory party after winning the Democratic nomination for United States Senate. The visitors center at Smithville Lake is named in Litton's memory. Democrat Pat Danner, a former aide to Jerry Litton, won the seat in 1992 becoming the first woman to be elected in the district defeating a 16-year Republican incumbent.
George W. Bush beat John Kerry in this district 57%–42% in 2004. The district is represented by Republican Sam Graves, who has held the seat since 2001. Graves easily held on to his seat what was expected to be a tough 2008 election, defeating former Kansas City mayor Kay Waldo Barnes by 23 percentage points.
Historically, the 6th was not safe for either party. However, in recent years, it has trended Republican, mirroring the increasingly conservative bent of the more rural areas of Missouri that historically voted for Yellow Dog Democrats.
After Missouri lost a congressional seat following the 2010 census (in part because of losses in population in several rural northern Missouri counties), the 6th was expanded to include most of Missouri north of the Missouri River, stretching from border to border from Kansas to Illinois. The biggest geographic addition was in northeast Missouri (including Kirksville, Missouri and Hannibal, Missouri), which used to be the northern half of the old 9th district.[3]
The 6th lost Cooper and Howard counties to the 4th district, and Gladstone in southwestern Clay County to the 5th district. Meanwhile, the 6th was pushed further into Jackson County, taking in the northeastern portion between the Missouri River and Interstate 70, as well as a small sliver southwest of Independence.
In the 2020 redistricting, more of Clay County was ceded the 5th District, including North Kansas City. The district also moved into the St. Louis metropolitan area for the first time, gaining most of Lincoln County, including its largest city, Troy, from the 3rd district.
| County | Seat | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adair | Kirksville | 25,122 | |
| 3 | Andrew | Savannah | 18,127 | |
| 5 | Atchison | Rock Port | 5,107 | |
| 7 | Audrain | Mexico | 24,394 | |
| 21 | Buchanan | St. Joseph | 82,956 | |
| 25 | Caldwell | Kingston | 8,955 | |
| 33 | Carroll | Carrollton | 8,391 | |
| 41 | Chariton | Keytesville | 7,399 | |
| 45 | Clark | Kahoka | 6,641 | |
| 47 | Clay | Liberty | 259,772 | |
| 49 | Clinton | Plattsburg | 21,548 | |
| 61 | Daviess | Gallatin | 8,551 | |
| 63 | DeKalb | Maysville | 9,899 | |
| 75 | Gentry | Albany | 6,287 | |
| 79 | Grundy | Trenton | 9,815 | |
| 81 | Harrison | Bethany | 8,220 | |
| 87 | Holt | Oregon | 4,248 | |
| 95 | Jackson | Independence, Kansas City | 718,560 | |
| 103 | Knox | Edina | 3,723 | |
| 111 | Lewis | Monticello | 9,818 | |
| 113 | Lincoln | Troy | 64,699 | |
| 115 | Linn | Linneus | 11,791 | |
| 117 | Livingston | Chillicothe | 14,557 | |
| 121 | Macon | Macon | 15,161 | |
| 127 | Marion | Palmyra | 28,336 | |
| 129 | Mercer | Princeton | 3,469 | |
| 137 | Monroe | Paris | 8,698 | |
| 147 | Nodaway | Maryville | 20,695 | |
| 163 | Pike | Bowling Green | 17,935 | |
| 165 | Platte | Platte City | 111,940 | |
| 171 | Putnam | Unionville | 4,638 | |
| 173 | Ralls | New London | 10,489 | |
| 175 | Randolph | Huntsville | 24,109 | |
| 177 | Ray | Richmond | 23,182 | |
| 197 | Schuyler | Lancaster | 4,053 | |
| 199 | Scotland | Memphis | 4,676 | |
| 205 | Shelby | Shelbyville | 5,931 | |
| 211 | Sullivan | Milan | 5,797 | |
| 227 | Worth | Grant City | 1,907 |
| Member | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history | District location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created March 4, 1853 | ||||||||
| align=left | John S. Phelps | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1863 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1852. Re-elected in 1854. Re-elected in 1856. Re-elected in 1858. Re-elected in 1860. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Austin A. King | Union | nowrap | March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865 | Elected in 1862. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Robert T. Van Horn | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1871 | Elected in 1864. Re-elected in 1866. Re-elected in 1868. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Abram Comingo | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873 | Elected in 1870. Redistricted to the . | |||
| align=left | Harrison E. Havens | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1872. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Charles H. Morgan | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879 | Elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | James R. Waddill | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881 | Elected in 1878. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Ira S. Haseltine | Greenback | nowrap | March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883 | Elected in 1880. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | John Cosgrove | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885 | Elected in 1882. Renominated in 1884 but withdrew before election. | |||
| align=left | John T. Heard | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1893 | Elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Redistricted to the . | |||
| align=left | David A. De Armond | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1893 – November 23, 1909 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | November 23, 1909 – February 1, 1910 | ||||||
| align=left | Clement C. Dickinson | Democratic | nowrap | February 1, 1910 – March 3, 1921 | Elected to finish De Armond's term. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | William O. Atkeson | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1923 | Elected in 1920. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Clement C. Dickinson | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1929 | Elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Thomas J. Halsey | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1931 | Elected in 1928 Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Clement C. Dickinson | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1931 – March 3, 1933 | Elected in 1930. Redistricted to the . | |||
| District inactive | nowrap | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935 | All representatives elected At-large on a general ticket | |||||
| align=left | Reuben T. Wood | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1941 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Philip A. Bennett | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1941 – December 7, 1942 | Elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942 but died before term began. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | December 7, 1942 – January 12, 1943 | ||||||
| align=left | Marion T. Bennett | Republican | nowrap | January 12, 1943 – January 3, 1949 | Elected to finish his father's term. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | George H. Christopher | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951 | Elected in 1948. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Orland K. Armstrong | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1953 | Elected in 1950. Retired. | |||
| align=left | William C. Cole | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955 | Elected in 1952. Lost re-election. | 1953–1963 | ||
William Raleigh Hull Jr. | Democratic | January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1973 | Elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Retired. | |||||
| 1963–1973 | ||||||||
| align=left | Jerry Litton | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1973 – August 3, 1976 | Elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Died. | 1973–1983 | ||
| Vacant | nowrap | August 3, 1976 – November 2, 1976 | ||||||
Tom Coleman | Republican | November 2, 1976 – January 3, 1993 | Elected to finish Litton's term. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Lost re-election. | |||||
| 1983–1993 | ||||||||
| align=left | Pat Danner | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2001 | Elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Retired. | 1993–2003 | ||
Sam Graves | Republican | January 3, 2001 – present | Elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024. | |||||
| 2003–2013 | ||||||||
| 2013–2023 | ||||||||
| 2023–present | ||||||||
| Year | Office | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | President | George W. Bush 53 – Al Gore 44% | |
| 2004 | President | George W. Bush 57 – John Kerry 42% | |
| 2008 | President | John McCain 54 – Barack Obama 45% | |
| 2012 | President | Mitt Romney 60 – Barack Obama 38% | |
| 2016 | President | Donald Trump 63 – Hillary Clinton 32% | |
| 2020 | President | Donald Trump 63 – Joe Biden 35% |
| align=center | 1996 • 1998 • 2000 • 2002 • 2004• 2006• 2008• 2010• 2012• 2014• 2016• 2018• 2020 |