3 challenge incumbent Eric Burlison in primary in 7th House District

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Missouri, is running for re-election in one the most solidly Republican congressional districts in the nation. He won the seat in the fall of 2022, after incumbent Billy Long chose to run for the U.S. Senate instead of seeking reelection to the House.

Long lost in the GOP primary.

Burlison faces three challengers in the 2024 Republican primary Aug. 6.

The winner will run against Democrat Missi Hesketh, who is unopposed in the primary. She certainly will be the underdog.

A Republican has held the the 7th Congressional seat since 1961; in 2020, Donald Trump had 69.9% of the district’s vote to Joe Biden’s 28.9%.

The district covers southwest Missouri, including Springfield, Joplin and Branson.

The Springfield Daily Citizen asked the four Republican candidates to reply in writing to seven questions.

Q: Why should voters send you back to Washington for a second term?

Burlison: “Since being elected to Congress in 2022, I have fought hard in Washington, D.C., to represent southwest Missouri and keep the promises I made. I have fought to reduce spending, end the weaponization of federal agencies, eliminate excessive red tape that places unnecessary regulations on families and small businesses, and stop the invasion on our southern border. I will continue working on these issues, fighting for our conservative values, and upholding the Constitution in my next term.

“In addition to fighting to implement conservative policies, I have assembled a team of amazing staff who work hard each and every day to help individuals in the district as they interact with federal agencies. We have helped numerous individuals as they struggled with large and small issues, everything from getting a passport to getting appointments at VA facilities. I am proud of the work we have done to help these individuals and will continue to work to help citizens in southwest Missouri.”

Q: What do you see as the biggest issues impacting residents of the 7th District?

Burlison: “One of the most impactful issues is inflation. Since President Biden and V.P. Harris took office, prices have risen nearly 20% on most goods and services that people buy every day. This includes gas for their cars and food for their families. These price increases are the direct result of out-of-control spending in Washington, D.C.

“The Biden/Harris Border Crisis is also a major issue facing residents of southwest Missouri. Although Missouri is not a border state, their policy of shipping illegal aliens all over the country has made every state a border state. These illegal aliens pose a national security risk and public safety risk to all Americans, including those in southwest Missouri.”

Q: The U.S. Senate considered a compromise bill aimed at addressing illegal immigration. The bill included provisions to set new standards for granting asylum, would have expanded the number of detention beds for illegal migrants, and would have hired 2,700 new U.S. Border Patrol agents and ICE officers. Would you support a similar bill if it comes forward in the next Congress? Why or why not?

Burlison: “Since entering office in January 2021, President Biden and V.P. Harris ended the policies that were put in place by President Trump that were working to secure our borders. Instead of focusing on securing the border, the Biden/Harris administration was focused on pandering to open borders extremists. During the past three and a half years, the Biden/Harris administration released more than 5 million illegal aliens into our country, that number does not include the millions of known and unknown got-aways that have also entered the country.

“I was proud to support H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, when it passed the House last year. That bill, unlike the fake Senate border security bill, contains the needed reforms to secure the border and prevent the Biden administration, or a future administration, from ignoring the law and facilitating an invasion of our country. H.R. 2 would close loopholes that are being exploited by cartels, permanently end catch-and-release, provide Border Patrol and ICE the resources they need to enforce the law, and modernize our asylum system to prevent fraud. These are major reforms that will make our nation safer.”

Editor’s note: House Resolution 2, the Secure the Border Act, did not receive the necessary votes in Congress to become law.

“By contrast, the Senate bill would merely codify the catch-and-release policies that have been implemented by the Biden/Harris administration and continue to allow millions of illegal aliens to be released into the country each year. I cannot support legislation that does not actually solve the problems created by the Biden/Harris administration and secure the border.”

Q: Do you support further federal action to restrict access to abortion? Would you support a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks, or even earlier?

Burlison: “I am strongly pro-life and will always fight to protect the lives of the unborn. My record is clear, both in Missouri and Washington, D.C., I have consistently voted to protect life. I will continue to do so moving forward.

“Being pro-life is more than just being against abortion, it is also about supporting women so that they do not feel that abortion is their only option.”

Q: What is the role of the federal government in K-12 education?

Burlison: “The Constitution does not give the federal government power to be involved in K-12 education. That power belongs to the states. Unfortunately, over the past several decades the federal government has become increasingly involved in education. The fact that there is a federal Department of Education is an affront to the Constitution. That is why one of the first bills I co-sponsored in Congress was Congressman Thomas Massie’s bill to terminate the Department of Education.”

Editor’s note: Massie is a Republican from Kentucky. The bill Burlison refers to did not become law.

“States and local communities, not the federal government, are best equipped to handle education in local communities, but ultimately parents, not the government, should always have the final say over what their children are taught.”

Q: What are the biggest threats to Missouri’s economy and workforce and how can the federal government support efforts to address them?

Burlison: “The biggest threats to Missouri’s economy and workforce are excessive spending and overregulation by the federal government.

“The Biden/Harris administration can’t find enough green/woke schemes to throw taxpayer dollars at. What makes it worse is that these monies are borrowed on the backs of our children and grandchildren. The current national debt is more than $35 trillion and is increasing by nearly $1 trillion every hundred days. This out-of-control spending has led to record inflation that is harming families, seniors on fixed incomes and our small businesses. It has to stop.

“In addition to excessive spending, the Biden/Harris bureaucracy continues to enact new regulations that place harmful burdens on families and businesses. Over the past several years, we have seen federal departments draft regulations limiting what types of cars and household appliances people can buy, redefining the relationship between independent contractors and businesses, and restricting the development of American energy, just to name a few examples.

“These new regulations impose massive compliance costs on businesses and restrict the choices that businesses and consumers can make. This heavy-handed regulatory approach leads to less choice, higher prices, and more government control over businesses and families.”

Q: What are your priorities for the 2025 federal budget?

Burlison: “The federal budget and appropriations process is broken. Congress rarely passes a budget on time, if at all, and it consistently fails to pass individual appropriations bills on time to implement the priorities that were included in the budget. Instead, congressional leadership kicks the can down the road with a series of continuing resolutions until enough momentum has built up to pass a massive omnibus spending bill that increases spending and is loaded with unrelated legislative items.

“My first priority is ensuring that Congress does not pass another massive, pork filled, omnibus bill this year. We need to work on each of the 12 appropriations bills individually and make needed spending cuts and reforms one bill at a time.

“Earlier this year, I submitted over 300 requests to the Appropriations Committee requesting cuts to funding for numerous programs and restrictions on how taxpayer money can be spent. I’m pleased that many of my requests were included in the bills drafted by the committee. For example, I’ve secured language in bills to defund diversity, equity, and inclusion offices in federal agencies, to prohibit money from being used to advance critical race theory, to prohibit money from being used to implement the ATF’s recent anti-Second Amendment regulations, and to prohibit money from being used to fund Green New Deal policies; however, there is much more that still needs to be done.

“We need to continue to fight to reduce federal spending and stop spending money on programs and policies that infringe on the rights of the American people and expand the size of the federal government.”

Q: Why are you better suited than Eric Burlsion to represent the 7th District?

Richards: “Eric Burlison has done nothing for us during his time in D.C. Immigrants are still coming across the southern border in droves. Taxes are higher, inflation is higher, and (Congress) passed a budget six months late. My priority is protecting American families and American workers, and I understand how to build coalitions at the federal level.

“More importantly, Congressman Burlison and I represent two distinct futures for the Republican Party. He represents an antagonistic party with very little interest in actually governing the country. Right now, Republicans in Congress believe as long as they keep shouting loud enough and finding new enemies to blame for all our problems, they will be able to keep their seats. My focus is on delivering tangible results to the people of southwest Missouri; I believe in unity and a functioning government. To me, that is the soul of the Republican Party, not the nonsense people like Eric Burlison continue to sell.”

Q: What do you see as the biggest issues impacting residents of the 7th District?

Richards: “They are the same issues impacting Americans nationwide. Taxes are too high, the cost of living is going up while wages don’t, and home prices are climbing at a rate where first-time buyers cannot afford to enter the market. I have multiple members of my family in their 70s and 80s who are still working because they can’t afford to retire, due to medicine costs, electric bills, etc. Young people are hurting. Old people are hurting. Who is winning in this economy right now?”

Q: The U.S. Senate considered a compromise bill aimed at addressing illegal immigration. The bill included provisions to set new standards for granting asylum, would have expanded the number of detention beds for illegal migrants, and would have hired 2,700 new U.S. Border Patrol agents and ICE officers. Would you support a similar bill if it comes forward in the next Congress? Why or why not?

Richards: “No. The United States needs a multi-stakeholder solution. We need to work with the Red Cross, the UNHCR and the Mexican government to set up a refugee/asylum seekers camp in Mexico. Then the processing of asylum requests can be done there in an expedited and dignified manner, before they cross the border. This is an international problem requiring an international solution.”

Editor’s note: “UNHCR” stands for United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees.

Q: Do you support further federal action to restrict access to abortion? Would you support a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks, or even earlier?

Richards: “The Supreme Court has made this a state issue. If the federal government wants to continue to be involved on this issue, they should debate a constitutional amendment. Otherwise, individual states can continue to place these measures on the ballot.”

Q: What is the role of the federal government in K-12 education?

Richards: “Their role is ensuring all schools have the ability to carry out their responsibilities and provide a safe environment for students to learn to their highest skill level. Ensuring rural schools have funding to meet their IDEA Act obligations, and other requirements in that vein to make sure every student is being taught in a way that suits them. I also believe the federal government could do a much better job of forming curriculum around civics education for public schools to use nationwide.”

Editor’s note: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is legislation that ensures students with a disability are provided with a Free Appropriate Public Education that is tailored to their individual needs.

Q: What are the biggest threats to Missouri’s economy and workforce and how can the federal government support efforts to address them?

Richards: “The federal government needs to pass bills like the End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act, which would end artificial scarcity in the housing market and bring down the cost of buying a starter home. I also believe the federal government should institute a moratorium on the sale of all farmland to foreign interests until we can take a full inventory of foreign land ownership. Finally, we need to focus on lowering drug prices across the board, but particularly for our senior citizens.”

Q: What are your priorities for the 2025 federal budget?

Richards: “Passing a budget on time, first and foremost. Second, instituting a federal moratorium on the sale of all farmland to foreign interests until a full inventory can be taken. Third, we need to focus on limiting our spending on foreign wars so our tax dollars can be put to work helping Americans.”

Q: Why are you better suited than Eric Burlison to represent the 7th District?

Adair: “I believe that I am the best candidate as I have a career of over 30 years working successfully in the business community as a general contractor and catastrophe insurance adjuster, and had the privilege of working with thousands of different individuals and families in this time, and raising a family.

“I truly understand and can relate to the regular hardworking American in southwest Missouri. My opponent has only focused his career as a professional politician, and he has not successfully authored or sponsored any new legislation that has been passed into law during this legislative session in the U.S. House.”

Q: What do you see as the biggest issues impacting residents of the 7th District?

Adair: “The top challenge I see in southwest Missouri is having real business opportunities for our current citizens; to see our existing businesses thrive; and creating jobs to help the area grow and and truly revitalize our communities by having economic zones of prosperity and innovation.

“I’m committed to economic redevelopment for rural areas, small towns, and major cities. We need actionable plans that involve every segment of our communities — from small businesses to large enterprises. In simple terms, I see renewal of small town centers, neighborhoods or new developments in an area that have the right combination of business, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, located near office and manufacturing and educational centers so that during the day and the evening individuals and families can come together and have a true small close-knit feeling again that will provide true profitable businesses that thrive together and help create synergy that is unique to that community that will ensure growth for years to come.”

Q: The U.S. Senate considered a compromise bill aimed at addressing illegal immigration. The bill included provisions to set new standards for granting asylum, would have expanded the number of detention beds for illegal migrants, and would have hired 2,700 new U.S. Border Patrol agents and ICE officers. Would you support a similar bill if it comes forward in the next Congress? Why or why not?

Adair: “Securing our borders is a straightforward imperative. We need robust policies that safeguard our borders, complete the wall and address the challenges posed by decades of oversight. I support the hiring of the proper amount of U.S. Border Patrol agents and ICE officers. I do not support building detention centers for illegal aliens. If someone comes without the proper documents in place, they should be deported.

“However, we do need to simplify and shorten the process for legal immigration to allow the opportunity for people wanting to relocate to America that will help further our vision for freedom and can contribute to our society with their unique skills.”

Q: Do you support further federal action to restrict access to abortion? Would you support a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks, or even earlier?

Adair: “I support a federal ban on abortions starting at conception. The only exception should be when the life and physical health of the mother is in danger and this has been confirmed with a medical diagnosis.”

Q: What is the role of the federal government in K-12 education?

Adair: “I believe the Department of Education at the federal level has overstepped its limits. I favor eliminating the Department of Education at the federal level and having each individual state legislature provide a forum to bring together the K-12 school boards and the families to make these decisions that reflect the choices of the majority of the people. I will also support funding to expand home schooling forums and homeschooling group sports, choir, band activities to give those families who choose to homeschool similar opportunities to the public schools.”

Q: What are the biggest threats to Missouri’s economy and workforce and how can the federal government support efforts to address them?

Adair: “The biggest threat to Missouri’s economy and workforce at the federal level centers around fair trade. The federal government needs to carefully monitor and enforce trade laws and tariffs to protect American businesses to keep us from undue dependence on foreign nations for goods and services. Federal loans and start-up funding programs and laws should be considered to help bring some manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.”

Q: What are your priorities for the 2025 federal budget?

Adair: “I am in favor of limiting the federal government back to its original role to handle international and interstate issues. I want to see these departments run transparently and efficiently, and make sure the bidding process for government contracts is simpler and more accessible to smaller and medium businesses.

“The Defense Department, State Department, Department of Transportation, the Department of the Interior are departments that I want to see run efficiently as well as the Social Security System and make sure it’s funded properly and raise the monthly Social Security levels to a realistic living standard.

“There are a lot of departments that can be handled better by each individual state legislature in my view. I would like to see Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Agriculture and Energy handled at the state level or by the group of states that produce certain commodities to make sure the local needs of our families and business can be responded to quickly and by representatives of their communities and have more funds available that are being wasted currently by a double layer of government oversight.”

Q: Why are you better suited than Eric Burlison to represent the 7th District?

Lombardi-Olive: “Why am I better qualified? My No. 1 criterion for voting for a candidate is simply this — what have you done to give back in our community? Most candidates send out political cards full of promises, endorsements ­­— which means they likely received money from that special interest group, or political PAC. Or listing why they should get your vote — but most do not list the community service projects they participated in to help local citizens, businesses or charitable groups.

“Why am I better than Burlison? It’s because I am low income. I have never accepted a penny in donations. I understand how hard it is to pay bills, buy food and medicines, and keep a vehicle running — barely— on a limited income that forces me to make hard choices in an attempt to live within my means.

“I cut my own hair, buy my clothes at Salvation Army, I make my own coffee, and eat out at a local diner once a month to help our small businesses survive, too. I am not fancy, I am not owned — the voter would be my sole focus, as I am not one of the good old boys.

“I volunteered after the devastating Joplin tornado in 2011 — bringing my son, neighbors, sister-in-law from St. Louis and my niece from Missouri State to volunteer with me. We also did the Extreme Home Makeover project that fall. I have volunteered with Convoy of Hope, local churches for events, helped find, bathe, remove ticks and clean cages at the local Humane Society in Branson when a kennel dumped dozens of Chihuahuas in the local woods.

“I donated a trailer full of antiques to Riley’s Treasures in Branson, a charitable African outreach organization. I volunteered at eight national disasters with Samaritan’s Purse — starting in Joplin, and recently in 2019 in Jefferson City after they had a tornado up there.

“I am not rich. I am low income, but my motto is ‘Give until it hurts, then give some more.’”

Editor’s Note: Lombardi-Olive says she has been to an active war zone — in Kabul, Afghanistan — for three months in 2018-2019.

“I went by myself — no sponsorship. The State Department told me not to go, but I felt I someone needed to know where the $6.9 billion was going every year. It was not going to build infrastructure, and the funding for the Afghan National Army was a sham; platoon leaders were lying about their actual troop numbers so they could pocket more money. This is why it collapsed so quickly in 2021.

“I also brought backpacks stuffed with hats, gloves, socks, hygiene supplies, and school supplies to an orphanage — House of Flowers, in Kabul. I saw the poverty and rough conditions firsthand. A bomb went off across the street at a polling place the first visit. A sniper set up at the school next to our apartment. I have photos.

“My second visit, bombs went off more frequently, gunfire raged night and day. I could not imagine a child living in that.”

Q: What do you see as the biggest issues impacting residents of the 7th District?

Lombardi-Olive: “A stagnant economy, prices rising way above the cost of living. Continued low wages not based on historical precedence since the inception of minimum wage in 1939. It went up 80% to 100% every decade until the 1980s when there was no increase.”

Editor’s note: The national minimum wage was created by Congress under the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938.

“We would be at $28 an hour if that decade did not stall wages. And increased CEO salaries from under $100,000 to upwards of millions by 2000.”

Q: The U.S. Senate considered a compromise bill aimed at addressing illegal immigration. The bill included provisions to set new standards for granting asylum, would have expanded the number of detention beds for illegal migrants, and would have hired 2,700 new U.S. Border Patrol agents and ICE officers. Would you support a similar bill if it comes forward in the next Congress? Why or why not?

Lombardi-Olive: “An influx of over 77,000 illegals into Missouri over the past three years has flooded our area with cheap labor that has artificially kept wages low for legal Americans.

“I am firmly against illegal immigration. Come here, legally, pay the fees, get vetted, and wait your turn in line. That is how it should be done.

“No asylum for those who did not enter legally, period. We need to focus on helping our homeless veterans and underemployed minorities.

“And safety is a grave concern. Springfield was listed as one of the most dangerous small cities in America, and the sharp rise in violent crime, proves that.”

Q: Do you support further federal action to restrict access to abortion? Would you support a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks, or even earlier?

Lombardi-Olive: “I am pro life.”

Q: What is the role of the federal government in K-12 education?

Lombardi-Olive: “Education would be better handled by individual states, since no one in Washington, D.C. can come up with a consensus on how to actually fund our schools, pay our teachers a decent wage, and keep our schools competitive on the world stage. We are failing miserably in science and math, lagging behind many third world countries in individual student achievement. We can, and must, do better.

“Education should be funded before any illegal receives a penny of taxpayer funding.”

Q: What are the biggest threats to Missouri’s economy and workforce and how can the federal government support efforts to address them?

Lombardi-Olive: “Loss of manufacturing, (loss of) farmland to foreign countries and a stagnant economy have all affected economic growth and business opportunities in our district.”

Q: What are your priorities for the 2025 federal budget?

Lombardi-Olive: “Rising healthcare costs also cripples many who live in our area — forcing them to choose food, or medicine, to barely survive.”