State Sen. Eric Burlison has been endorsed by the conservative House Freedom Fund in his congressional bid, his campaign said Thursday.
“The House Freedom Fund is one of the leading groups that elects conservatives to Congress. I’m honored to have their endorsement and greatly look forward to joining the Freedom Caucus when I’m elected to Congress,” Burlison said.
The House Freedom Fund, supported by the House Freedom Caucus, backs conservative candidates for Congress, including Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert and Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry.
This marks the second national conservative group to back Burlison in his campaign for Congressman Billy Long’s seat. Club for Growth announced its backing of Burlison earlier this week.
Burlison is one of a handful of Republicans who are vying for the 7th congressional district after Long decided to run for U.S. Senate. Former state Sen. Jay Wasson jumped into the race Thursday, and state Sen. Mike Moon had already announced.
Burlison represents SD 20, which encompasses Christian County as well as part of Greene County, in the Senate. He leads the Small Business and Industry Committee and serves as vice-chairman of the Professional Registration Committee.
Burlison, who has served in the General Assembly since 2009, is a member of the Senate Conservative Caucus.
In a previous interview with The Missouri Times, Burlison described the 7th district as one that seeks help from the government as a last resort, pointing to neighbors helping each other in the aftermath of the 2011 Joplin tornado as an example. Nestled in the southwest corner of Missouri, the district includes Springfield and Branson and is the seat formerly held by outgoing Senator Roy Blunt. Long is running to replace him in the Senate.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
