Southwest Missouri Needs a Voice That Belongs to the People: Meet Missi Hesketh TONIGHT

Photo taken from MissiForMO

Why We Support Missi Hesketh for U.S. Congress, Missouri District 7

Southwest Missouri is one of the most beautiful places in this country. Its people work hard, raise families, build communities, and care deeply about the land they live on and the neighbors they live beside. They deserve a representative who works just as hard for them.

Right now, they do not have one.

Citizens Against Tyranny is proud to support Missi Hesketh for the United States House of Representatives in Missouri's 7th Congressional District. The primary election is August 4, 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. We are asking every voter in southwest Missouri who believes in accountability, decency, and government that actually works for the people to vote for Missi Hesketh.

Who Is Missi Hesketh

Missi Hesketh is not a politician who came to southwest Missouri to run for office. She is from here. She grew up here. She raised her family here. She has spent her life working for this community.

Born in the suburbs of Chicago in 1971, Missi moved to Forsyth, Missouri in 1983 with her father, a retired Marine Vietnam veteran. She graduated from Forsyth High School, worked two jobs while playing tennis and editing the school newspaper, and, by her own honest account, flunked out of Mizzou after one semester and "proceeded to the school of life." After September 11, 2001, she returned to college and earned a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, a Master's in Gifted Education from Drury University in 2018, and a Specialist in Education in Special Education and Assessment from Missouri State University in 2023.

She has been a single mother for over twelve years. She has been a public school educator for nearly twenty. She knows what it costs to raise a family in southwest Missouri on a teacher's salary. She knows what it means to need healthcare, affordable childcare, and a Social Security system that does not get gutted while you are counting on it.

She has also served her community directly. She served on the Forsyth Board of Aldermen from 2008 to 2012, returned to city council in 2022, and won the mayoral race in Forsyth in April 2023. As mayor, she focused on ecotourism, improving community communications and transparency, and finally enforcing decades of neglected nuisance and dangerous buildings ordinances. She did not just talk about problems. She fixed them.

"Too often we hear somebody should or they need to do something, and I'm grateful to have been in a position to work toward getting things done." — Missi Hesketh

Her Campaign Motto Says Everything

Missi Hesketh's campaign motto is four words: "I'm taking you with me."

Not some of you. Not the donors. Not the party. You.

"Because while it will be my name on the ballot, and while I'm running as a Democrat, I'm taking everyone's issues and priorities with me to D.C. should I be elected. If you're a child living in poverty, I'm taking you with me. If you're a single mom struggling to make ends meet because the cost of childcare is more than your mortgage, I'm taking you with me. If you're a senior citizen worried about your Social Security benefits being slashed, I'm taking you with me. If you're a teacher, firefighter, law enforcement officer, I'm taking you with me." — Missi Hesketh

That is not a talking point. That is a promise from someone who has lived those words.

What She Stands For

Protecting Social Security and Medicare.

Seniors in southwest Missouri are already barely getting by. The current representative has aligned himself with colleagues who want to cut Social Security benefits. Missi Hesketh will fight to protect every dollar of Social Security and Medicare that working people have paid into their entire lives. It is not a gift. It is theirs.

Fully funding public education.

As an educator with nearly twenty years in Missouri classrooms, Missi understands what schools in this district actually need. She supports fully funding public education, investing in teachers, and ensuring that every child in southwest Missouri, rural or urban, has access to a quality education. She has an Ed.S. in Special Education and Assessment. She is not guessing about what students need. She knows.

Protecting clean water, clean air, and the environment of the Ozarks.

Southwest Missouri's economy runs on ecotourism. The rivers, the lakes, the land — these are not just beautiful. They are people's livelihoods. Missi was deeply disturbed when the current representative celebrated cuts to the EPA budget of 39%. She believes that everyone in this district, regardless of party, wants to ensure the health of their water, air, and soil. She will fight to protect it.

Affordable healthcare for every person in the 7th.

Missi supports accessible, affordable healthcare for all residents of southwest Missouri.

She has seen firsthand what happens when people cannot access care. She will work to ensure that healthcare is a right, not a luxury, in this district.

Ending the division and restoring decency to Congress.

Missi has been direct about what she sees in Washington: a Congress consumed by partisan investigations, performative outrage, and deliberate divisiveness. She wants no part of it. She has pledged to hold public town halls, to represent all constituents regardless of party, and to put people over party on every vote.

"I understand that as an elected Representative, I am accountable to my constituents. I plan to represent ALL who live in the 7th, not just those in my party. We may not always agree on every issue, but I will still hold public town halls to hear from the people I represent." — Missi Hesketh

Accountability without partisan protection.

Missi has drawn a sharp line on accountability. When Congressman Burlison had the opportunity to be the 218th signature needed to release the Epstein files, he declined, reportedly to avoid political consequences within his party. Missi's response was unambiguous: "I could care less about committee seats when it comes to holding people accountable for harming children." That is what accountability looks like.

A grassroots campaign that refuses corporate money.

Missi Hesketh's campaign runs on small donations from real people. Her campaign website says it plainly: "We're proving we don't need corporate cash to win. We're building a grassroots army, neighbor by neighbor, across the Ozarks. Missouri politics shouldn't be for sale." A representative who owes nothing to corporate donors owes everything to the people who elected her.

Why This Race Matters Right Now

Missouri's 7th District covers Springfield, Joplin, Branson, and much of southwest Missouri. It is rated R+21 by the Cook Political Report, meaning it has voted 21 points more Republican than the national average. That makes this a difficult race. We are not going to pretend otherwise.

But difficult is not impossible. And the political climate of 2026 is not the political climate of any prior year. People across southwest Missouri who never considered themselves political are showing up. They are showing up at town halls. They are showing up at protests. They are showing up because something that used to feel abstract now feels personal.

The current representative, Eric Burlison, has been part of a Congress that has enabled the dismantling of government accountability, the purging of federal workers, the gutting of environmental protections, and the protection of powerful people over the constituents of this district. He had the chance to be the deciding vote to release the Epstein files. He chose his party over his constituents.

Missi Hesketh would not have made that choice. She has said so, clearly and on the record.

This is the moment to make this race competitive. Not someday. Now. Every vote Missi gets in August and November sends a message that southwest Missouri is paying attention, that its people will not be taken for granted, and that the 7th District is not automatically anyone's property.

What You Can Do

• Vote.

  The Democratic primary is August 4, 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. Mark both dates. Make a plan. Show up. Register to vote at vote.org, which takes you directly to Missouri's registration page.

  
  

  The chart shows MO-7 voters' registration dates:

OfficialElection Day	Style of Election	Last Day to Register to Vote	First Day for Candidate Filing	Last Day for Candidate Filing	Final Certification Date
August 4, 2026	Primary Election	July 8, 2026	February 24, 2026	March 31, 2026	May 26, 2026
November 3, 2026	General Election	October 7, 2026	July 7, 2026*	July 28, 2026*	August 25, 2026

• Donate.

  Missi's campaign runs on grassroots dollars. Every contribution, no matter the size, goes directly toward reaching voters in southwest Missouri. Donate at missiheskethforcongress.com.

  
  

• Volunteer.

  Call or text the campaign at (417) 674-3481. Join the grassroots army being built neighbor by neighbor across the Ozarks.

  
  

• Spread the word.

  Talk to your neighbors. Share this article. Post about Missi on social media. The single most effective form of political persuasion is a trusted person talking to someone they know. You are that person. Use it.

  
  

• Follow Missi's campaign.

  Find her at missiheskethforcongress.com and on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok at Missi Hesketh for Congress.

  
  

• MEET MISSI TONIGHT IN JOPLIN

  Missi Hesketh will be in Joplin tonight at 6:00 p.m. Come meet her in person. Ask your questions. Hear her vision for southwest Missouri directly from her.

Location: Minnie Hackney Community Service Center

110 S Main St, Joplin, MO 64801

Tonight, 4/14/26 at 6:00 p.m.

Southwest Missouri deserves a representative who shows up for them the way Missi Hesketh has shown up for this community her entire life. A teacher. A single mother. A mayor. A neighbor. Someone who has done the hard work, who knows the cost of things, and who will take you with her to Washington.

Vote Missi Hesketh for Congress. August 4, 2026 primary. November 3, 2026 general election.

Taken from @MissiForMO

References

1. Missi Hesketh for Congress — Official Campaign Website | missiheskethforcongress.com. Primary source for candidate background, platform, campaign motto, and contact information.

2. Missi Hesketh — Ballotpedia | Ballotpedia. Source for candidate biography, education history, career background, 2026 primary date, and Candidate Connection survey responses including campaign key messages and accountability statement.

3. Missouri's 7th Congressional District Election, 2026 | Ballotpedia. Source for primary and general election dates, Cook Partisan Voter Index (R+21), and candidate field.

4. Hesketh Announces Run for Congress | Branson Tri-Lakes News, December 5, 2023. Source for campaign announcement, platform statement including Social Security and EPA concerns, and "I'm taking you with me" motto quote.

5. Missouri 7th Congressional District: Democrat Missi Hesketh | KSMU Ozarks Public Radio, July 31, 2024. Source for Hesketh's positions on reproductive rights, voting access, Ukraine, and congressional decorum.

6. Race for Representative of Missouri's 7th Congressional District | KOLR OzarksFirst, October 23, 2024. Source for Hesketh's statement on serving the entire community.

7. Missouri's 7th Congressional District Election, 2026 — Democratic Primary | Ballotpedia. Source for Hesketh's statement on the Epstein files and Burlison's refusal to sign.

8. Missi Hesketh — Take Back Congress | Take Back Congress. Source for platform summary including anti-authoritarianism, affordable housing, and fully funding public education and healthcare.

9. HESKETH, MISSI — Candidate Overview | Federal Election Commission (FEC). Source for campaign finance registration and fundraising data.

10. Missouri's 7th Congressional District | Ballotpedia. Source for district geography covering Springfield, Joplin, Branson, and southwest Missouri.

Published by Citizens Against Tyranny | citizensagainstyrannynetwork.org | April 2026

This article may be freely shared and republished with attribution to Citizens Against Tyranny.