{"id":2584543,"date":"2026-03-27T12:48:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T16:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/missouri-rep-sam-graves-withdraws-plans-for-2026-reelection-bid\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T12:49:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T16:49:10","slug":"missouri-rep-sam-graves-withdraws-plans-for-2026-reelection-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/missouri-rep-sam-graves-withdraws-plans-for-2026-reelection-bid\/","title":{"rendered":"Missouri Rep. Sam Graves withdraws plans for 2026 reelection bid"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmissouri-rep-sam-graves-withdraws-plans-for-2026-reelection-bid%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2584543&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Missouri Republican rep. Sam Graves, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, will retire at the end of this term and has withdrawn his bid for re-election in Missouri\u2019s 6th District. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the 62-year-old said he filed for reelection but decided to step down and suspend his 2026 campaign. Graves, first elected in 2000, had been preparing for an August primary, but his decision opens an open seat in a heavily GOP district that Trump carried decisively in recent elections. The retirement creates a rare opportunity for multiple Republicans to vie for the open seat, with a March 31 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >candidate filing deadline<\/a> looming. His departure comes amid a broader wave of GOP retirements as the party tries to maintain its slim House majority.Graves said redistricting or Congress\u2019s decorum issues did not drive his decision; he wishes to focus on issues such as modernizing the U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pompeo-haley-slam-bidens-foreign-policy-decisions\/\" title=\"Pompeo, Haley slam ...en\u2019s foreign policy ...s\">air traffic control system<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Missouri Rep. Sam Graves withdraws plans for 2026 reelection bid<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2545159\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sam-graves\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5559\">Sam Graves<\/a> (R-MO), who is chairman of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/transportation\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"275\">House Committee on Transportation<\/a>, is reversing course on his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11675\">2026 election<\/a> plans and will retire at the end of this term.<\/p>\n<p>Graves, who is 62, told the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> in an interview that he will withdraw his paperwork to run for a 14th term for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/missouri\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1099\">Missouri&rsquo;s<\/a> 6th District. He first came to Congress in 2000 and was set to face an August <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/primaries\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2655\">primary<\/a>, but he made the decision earlier this week to suspend his plans.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4506417\/house-scrambles-fund-dhs-conservatives-push-save-act-demands\/\">House scrambles to fund DHS as rebels revive SAVE America Act demands<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4506204\/house-republicans-foreign-owned-media-transparency-requirements\/\">House Republican duo move to bolster foreign-owned media transparency<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4504523\/sanders-bill-would-force-team-owners-to-sell-to-local-buyers-before-moving\/\">Sanders bill would force team owners to sell to local buyers before moving<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;I think it is time for me to step down,&rdquo; Graves told the outlet. &ldquo;I filed for reelection, and I was still kind of evaluating &hellip; my next chapter in life, and what that might look like.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Graves won the seat in 2024 with roughly 70% of the vote, while President Donald Trump carried the district over former Vice President Kamala Harris by 69% to 30%. Missouri&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-redistricting-lawsuit-could-cost-congressional-republicans-up-to-six-house-seats\/\" title=\"NY Re...ing Lawsuit May Result in GOP Losing Six ... Seats\">mid-decade redistricting<\/a> only marginally changed the lines of the heavily GOP district. <\/p>\n<p>The exit by Graves from Capitol Hill means a rare opportunity for an open seat with no incumbent to battle, which could widen a GOP primary field. Two Republicans are already on the ballot to challenge Graves, and the candidate filing deadline is March 31. Given the strong GOP lean, the winner of the primary is likely a shoo-in for the general election. <\/p>\n<p>Graves is the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4040585\/where-house-senate-retirements-stand-2026\/\">53rd member <\/a>to announce they would not seek reelection to the House this fall. The mass exodus comes as the GOP struggles to maintain its razor-thin majority in the lower chamber.<\/p>\n<p>Graves said redistricting in his home state, nor the breakdown in decorum and hyper-partisanship of Congress, factored into his decision to retire. He told the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> he wants to find funding to modernize the U.S.&rsquo;s air traffic control system before he departs Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4040585\/where-house-senate-retirements-stand-2026\/\"><strong>HERE&rsquo;S WHERE HOUSE AND SENATE RETIREMENTS STAND IN 2026<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Graves&rsquo;s retirement is significant, especially given his powerful leadership position on the transportation committee that he&rsquo;s held since 2019.<\/p>\n<p>The Missouri congressman asked House leadership to remain as the top Republican on the transportation panel last year, successfully securing a waiver to do so despite being term-limited as a committee chairman. Republicans have six-year limits on their chairmen, while Democrats have no term limits.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Missouri Rep. Graves ends 2026 reelection bid<\/p>\n<p>Missouri Republican Sam Graves, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, announced he will retire at the end of this term and withdraw his candidacy for a 14th term in Missouri\u2019s 6th District. The 62-year-old, first elected in 2000, had been set for an August primary but decided this week to suspend his reelection plans. Graves said neither redistricting nor partisan rancor influenced his decision; he wants to secure funding to modernize the United States\u2019 air traffic control system before leaving. The open seat could intensify the GOP primary, with two Republicans already running before the March 31 filing deadline, in a district that leans heavily Republican. He is the 53rd member to retire this cycle, as Republicans strive to maintain their slim House majority<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2584544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP23263653806617-1.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[70169,4402,8584,5894,76665],"class_list":["post-2584543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-2026-elections-2","tag-congress","tag-missouri","tag-politics","tag-sam-graves"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP23263653806617-1.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2584543"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2584547,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584543\/revisions\/2584547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2584544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2584543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2584543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2584543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}