Rep. Sam Graves, longtime northern Missouri congressman, to leave at end of year

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) -

Rep. Sam Graves (R-Tarkio) said he will leave Congress at the end of the year.

The 13-term congressman from northern Missouri announed on X Friday morning that he would not seek another term in 2026 for the state's Sixth Congressional District.

"This wasn’t an easy decision, but it’s the right one," Graves said. "I believe in making room for the next generation. It’s time to pass the torch and allow a new guard of conservative leaders to step forward and chart a path forward for Missourians."

The sixth district covers most of northern Missouri. The new congressional map passed in 2025 moves the district further south to include Mid-Missouri's Chariton County. The district also now includes more of the Kansas City area's Clay County.

Graves was first elected to Congress in 2000 after serving eight years in the Missouri General Assembly as both a state representative and a state senator. He became the top Republican member of the U.S. House of Representative's Transportation Committee in 2019, and became its chairman in 2023.

Graves was one of two Republicans to file to run for the seat in 2026 alongside Jim Ingram of Kansas City. Radio host Chris Stigall announced early Friday on X that he planned to run for Graves's seat. Three Democrats from the Kansas City area have so far filed to run.