Kalena Bruce, candidate for the 4th congressional district, hauled in more than $100,000 within her first 10 days, her campaign said Monday.
Bruce’s campaign heralded the fundraising data, collected from Aug. 18-27, as an “impressive start.” Among other candidates for the 4th congressional and other offices, Bruce was a strong fixture at the recent Missouri State Fair.
“I am truly overwhelmed by the outpouring of support we have receive as we begin this campaign to clean up Congress,” Bruce said. “The support we’ve received from Missourians proves that folks are ready for a conservative outsider, not another career politician. And we’re just getting started.”
Bruce is a cattle farmer from Stockton and a CPA who owns and operates an accounting firm in Bolivar where she focuses on small businesses and federal tax law. In her campaign announcement, she touted her agriculture expertise and ties to former President Donald Trump with a pledge to “clean up Congress.”
Bruce is a 5th-generation farmer whose Stockton farm comprises about 3,500 acres and includes a 650 heard commercial calf-cow herd of black and red Angus cattle. She served on the Missouri Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer and Rancher Committee where she had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., and meet with Trump.
She has called for President Joe Biden to resign amid the controversy surrounding the recent Afghanistan attacks.
“Today’s tragic and unnecessary loss of life solidifies what many of us already knew, that Joe Biden is unfit and incapable to serve as commander in chief. He should resign immediately before more innocent lives are lost due to his incompetence. If he is unwilling, congress must act and remove him from office,” Bruce said. “Biden’s strategy of retreat made us less safe, emboldened our enemies, and failed our allies. Now more than ever we need leaders who will stand up and defend our military, and make Americans safe again.”
Aside from Bruce, state Rep. Sara Walsh, former Boone County clerk Taylor Burks, and Cass County associate commissioner Ryan Johnson are running for the 4th congressional seat. Sens. Caleb Rowden and Rick Brattin are also considering bids.
Missouri’s 4th congressional district — as it stands now — is a large and diverse expanse of the state, from Columbia sweeping west to just below Kansas City, stretching down to Pittsburg and Lebanon, and settling north of Springfield. It includes both Whiteman Air Force Base in Johnson County and Fort Leonard Wood in Pulaski County.
Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler has represented the district since 2011, but she is running for U.S. 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.
