Johnson County Democrats hosted one of their regular “Blue Dogs on the Farm” events on a multi-generation farmstead in Leeton early yesterday evening. Approximately 100 Democrats from the local area, Johnson County, and surrounding counties were in attendance. It was sunny and hot, with a temperature in the high 90s.
Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D) attended, spoke, and conversed with attendees – and posed for selfies and photos.
Representative Cleaver addressed the upcoming midterm election, accountability, the corruption and grift in the Trump Administration, on access to health care, on infrastructure, on the economy, on working for the needs of people in the district, and much more. The response from the crowd was determined and enthusiastic.
“When our country is at its darkest, Democrats must be at their best.”
Roberta “RB” Burford, Chair of the Johnson County Democratic Central Committee.
“Resist”
Representative Emanuel Cleaver and Leeton resident Raymond James.
The infrastructure bill that Congressman Cleaver voted for during the Biden Administration paid to repave 2 and 13 Highways in Johnson County and replace the bridge on 2 Hwy near Leeton.
Our Rural Electric CoOps in Johnson County brought affordable high speed internet to farms, thanks to that vote.
Did the Republican Congressman Mark Alford from the 4th District vote to repave our roads, build new bridges or bring us highspeed internet? No he did not.
He did vote for the Big Beautiful Bill under the current Trump Administration, as did every other Republican in congress, that defunds our rural hospitals and gives even bigger tax cuts to billionaires.
Senator Roy Blunt was the only Republican member of congress from Missouri to vote along with Congressman Cleaver on the infrastructure bill that President Biden signed.
My oldest is able to use the high speed internet to work from our farm enabling her to move back home.
I will gladly vote for Congressman Cleaver, a congressman who did more for me than the Republican who was my actual representative at the time.
Raymond James, MSG US Army Retired and
Rural Johnson County Voter
Newly paved MO Highway 13, heading south toward Highway 2 and Leeton.
Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D) attended the Governor’s Ham Breakfast (a fundraiser) on the fairgrounds of the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia on Thursday morning. He took a few moments to speak with media:
.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D): ….So, uh, make no mistake, I am here now because, uh, the district was, uh, mean-spiritedly redrawn, uh, and I, I’m going to do, uh, you know, what I would do normally and it’s go out and be with the people where I, that I’m representing. I’ve done it for all my career whether it’s, you know, pastoring the same church for thirty-seven years, or being city council, mayor [of Kansas City], and a member of Congress. So, you know, I’m, uh, kind of obsessed with human beings. All kinds.
Question: [laughter] Just a reaction from yesterday’s [Cole County Circuit Court] ruling.
Rep. Cleaver: Well, obviously I’m disappointed in the, in the ruling. I think they’re wrong. And the law is, I think, clear. I’m not a lawyer. But almost every lawyer that I’ve spoken with has said, uh, that it’s clear. That, uh, when the signatures are certified it stops everything, uh, until the people of Missouri who took their time to, uh, to do the signature and, uh, petition a referendum, uh, a chance to, to have their say and a vote.
So, had they worked the way they should, should work and the way they have worked in the past, uh, everything would have stopped yesterday, uh, and, uh, we would be now getting ready for, uh, a election in November with the old, uh, lines. And then of course, uh, after their, we reached the end of that term, uh, that would be an, an election [inaudible] take place. But all that was pushed aside. And, we, you know, I don’t, I can control only that which I control. And I can control, you know, being out, being available, uh, meeting with and, and, uh, listening to people across the state. And I have done that….
Question: ….How much faith do you have that the [Missouri] Supreme Court will rule in favor of the referendum?
Rep. Cleaver: Uh, I have not, uh, uh, organized a party to celebrate, uh, the Supreme Court decision. Uh, I, I can only hope that, uh, they will, uh, you know, do their job as they understand it. That’s all I can do.
Question: Secretary Hoskins was saying that this isn’t a ‘smear Representative Cleaver campaign’ to get you out of office. Says he’s friends with Rick Brattin [the Republican candidate in the 5th Congressional District] but it has nothing to do with it.
Rep. Cleaver:: What’s that name?
Question: Uh, Secretary [of State] Hoskins. Denny Hoskins. Denny Hoskins. Any reaction to these words? Has he spoken to you as well?
Rep. Cleaver:: No.
Question: No. And your reaction to what he said that this wasn’t out to get you specifically?
Rep. Cleaver:: You know, if we go squirrel hunting the squirrel that’s targeted, they’re gonna feel like it was taken personally.
You know, I, I don’t know how else to take it. I think, uh, the only other way, you know, that you’re doing something to the, to the people. Based on the polling data I’ve seen on, uh, mid-decade redistricting the people of Missouri don’t like it. Uh, black, white, rural, urban, old, young. I was at a, a senior citizen’s facility yesterday and I couldn’t hardly even finish my speech because people wanted to express their anger and hostility [to redistricting]. And, uh many of them, uh, were not in the party of which I, uh, sit now.
But, you know, I, I don’t know what the Supreme Court is gonna do. I don’t know a single member of the Supreme Court. I couldn’t call a single name. I, I, I, you know, I’m not gonna spend a lot of time sitting around saying, ‘woe is me.’ I’m gonna go out here, run a clean campaign as a group of ministers asked me to do yesterday. They said, look, we, we don’t care about all that [inaudible] stuff. We want you to run a straight campaign, the way you’ve always done and, uh, don’t get in the gutter. But I’m not. I’m gonna run a campaign based on what I’ve been able to do in Congress….
Rep. Cleaver:: ….I am convinced, and a lot of people don’t like this, that, that the overwhelming majority of people in this country are good and decent people. There’s a group, make no mistake, uh, you know, of haters and, and they like chaos so forth. But the majority of the people are, are just, just good. And, and they want to see things done in, in the right way….
Question: What were your takeaways on the historic defeats of Amendments 4 [restricting initiatives] and 5 [implementing regressive taxation on working people] here in Missouri. Do you think that large margin might carry over to some momentum, uh, for November for Missouri Democrats?
Rep. Cleaver:: Yes, I, I. I’m. Look, people don’t like to be ignored. And if people go out and get, uh, signatures knocking on doors, they, they want the process to work. Uh, and it means that they disagreed with something. Uh, Rachel Maddow [MSNOW] did something, and I missed most of it, uh, a week or so ago, about all of the times that the Missouri General Assembly passed things that the people didn’t like in recent times, you know, whether it was minimum wage or whether it was a woman’s right to choose, and the people went out and collected the signatures to put it on the ballot and won. Uh, you know, and, and she was expressing some shock that Missouri would, would do that. And, and I’ve said in interviews I’m, I’m not. People want to believe, uh, that their voice means something.
And, uh, I think the law, uh, was clear. And that is that once the signatures are certified everything is supposed to stop and revert back to the, uh, previous lines. And, uh, that’s, every time a court gets ready to go over this that’s what I expect them to do. They may not do it. But, uh, that’s my expectation….
The Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair took place yesterday morning in Sedalia. This annual fundraising event is usually a “must attend” function for Missouri legislators, statewide office holders, members of Congress, and candidates. Usually.
Champion Ham and Bacon.
For an hour or so before the organized program and meal starts attendees start at the entrance running a gauntlet of campaign signs and t-shirt wearing campaign volunteers. After the early August primary some November general election candidates do show up.
Early morning fog at the entrance to the Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.
Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D).
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe (r):
Mike Kehoe (r).
State Auditor candidate Quentin Wilson (D).
Eric Schmitt (r).
State Treasurer Vivek Malek (r).
Jason Smith (r).
Phone energy.
Yvonne Reeves Chong, Vice-Chair of the Missouri Democratic Party.
Quentin Wilson (D).
After the breakfast many attendees and politicians make their way to the main fair grounds.
Midway entrance.
Quentin Wilson (D).
Rene Vance (D), candidate in the 52nd Legislative District.
“Has anyone seen Eric Schmitt (r) anywhere?” “Look for the microphones.”
In light of the U.S. military buildup within striking distance of Iran, it is imperative that the War Powers Act be honored.
No president has the authority to unilaterally use military force without the approval of Congress.
The last thing this country needs right now is another war in the Middle East that would add trillions to the national debt while putting countless lives at risk. That’s why I proudly co-sponsored H.Con.Res. 38, an Iran War Powers Resolution to prevent U.S. military action.
A few of the responses:
Unfortunately, the Mango Menace has no honor and thinks he is some weirdo one-man-show-by-divine-right who can ‘do anything **I WANT**’ – y’all need to prepare for that.
and its a great distraction from the files and his non stop failures
Thanks for standing up for sanity.
Trump is trying to “wag the dog.” This is going to be a huge mistake.
“No war with Iran” [2020 file photo]
Please I am a Navy mom we do not need another senseless war, but he does so he can pull some crap and not allow mid terms to happen. Thank You
He needs the war to cancel the midterms. Don’t think he won’t do it!!!
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So to make sure everyone knows how smart cleaver is he’d rather let Iran have nuclear capability just saying 🤷🚛🇺🇸
“Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term! The white structure shown is deeply imbedded into the rock, with even its roof well below ground level, and completely shielded from flame. The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!” (June 25, 2025)
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Most of the other responses are from right wingnut MAGA cultists.
“…the use of military force to enact regime change in a foreign nation has proven disastrous to our national security and economic interests in recent history…”
(Kansas City, MO) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) released the following statement after the administration’s unconstitutional military action in Venezuela.
“The president’s reckless decision to put our servicemembers in harm’s way by attacking a sovereign nation without a coherent rationale or approval from Congress is unconstitutional, destabilizing to the region, and deeply damaging to America’s reputation around the world.
“While there is not a single individual who will defend the actions of a murderous and illegitimate dictator in Nicolas Maduro, the use of military force to enact regime change in a foreign nation has proven disastrous to our national security and economic interests in recent history. Moreover, such shortsighted decision-making will only embolden despots around the world, giving tyrants in Russia and China an excuse to utilize their own military forces to depose leaders with whom they disagree.
“Whether it was the illegal strikes in Iran, Nigeria, or off the coast of South America, there is no question that this careless decision is the culmination of Congressional Republican refusal to hold the Executive Branch accountable and maintain the checks and balances that are essential to strategic and well-informed foreign policy. Now, because of this dereliction of duty, the president claims our troops and tax dollars will ‘run’ Venezuela ‘until such time as a proper transition can take place’.
“As Congress returns to Washington, the administration must immediately brief the people’s elected representatives about the legal justifications of this attack, the short-term risks to our troops and civilians, and the long-term strategy to ensure the situation in Venezuela does not result in another quagmire that the American people do not support and cannot afford.”
Emanuel Cleaver II
[October 6, 2025]
It says everything that, in the middle of a government shut down, House Republicans decided to take another week off.
Working families are paying for their dysfunction and inability to compromise.
Democrats will keep showing up to work, fighting to lower costs, and protecting the health care of American families – because someone has to do the people’s work.
[….]
[Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D):] ‘Hello. I’m Emanuel Cleaver and I’m irritated. I’m irritated because I was in Washington all last week – We have a problem. We needed to figure out how to get a continuing resolution to pay the bills of the United States, but there were people who did not show up, who were not concerned, as am I, about you.
The only thing I’m supposed to do in Washington is think about and serve you.
There are people who don’t understand or don’t care that if we don’t do something right now, quickly, many of you in the State of Missouri, the Fifth Congressional District, will lose your insurance or you won’t be able to afford it.
Now this is not some talking point. This is a straight out truth, and I’m willing to stand face to face with anybody on planet Earth and say what I just said and dare them to question the authenticity of what I said.
I’ve lost my temper. I’m cooling down now, but understand there are people who don’t care about you or me.’
Rep. Cleaver’s Statement on Charlie Kirk Resolution
September 19, 2025
Press Release
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) released the following statement on the Charlie Kirk Resolution.
“As John Donne said in his famous poem, ‘any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.’
“I reject and resent the savagery of the man who killed Charlie Kirk. When we resort to violence as a means of expressing opposition to another’s politics, we are actually downgrading our own. I condemn political violence in all forms and from all perpetrators, including the heinous murder of Mr. Kirk.
“Mr. Kirk’s statements about African American women and other Black people demands me to reject his racial insensitivity. Therefore, because I fundamentally disagreed with many of Mr. Kirk’s views, I voted against today’s resolution on the grounds that it lionized a legacy I cannot support.”
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Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.
The vote:
FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 282
H RES 719 YEA-AND-NAY 19-Sep-2025 10:53 AM
QUESTION: On Agreeing to the Resolution
BILL TITLE: Honoring the life and legacy of Charles “Charlie” James Kirk
—- YEAS 310 —
Alford
Burlison
Graves
Onder
Smith (MO)
Wagner
—- NAYS 58 —
Bell
Cleaver
Performative:
Mark Alford (r) [2024 file photo].
Eric Burlison (r) [2025 file photo].
Eric Burlison
[September 19, 2025]
96 Democrats refused to honor Charlie Kirk after his brutal murder.
58 voted NO.
38 hid with “present”.
96 DISGRACEFUL votes.
They spit on the grave of a patriot because they hate what he stood for.
This is who the Radical Left is. Never forget it.
If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified.
If you’re a WNBA, pot-smoking, Black lesbian, do you get treated better than a United States marine?
Happening all the time in urban America, prowling Blacks go around for fun to go target white people, that’s a fact. It’s happening more and more.
If I’m dealing with somebody in customer service who’s a moronic Black woman, I wonder is she there because of her excellence, or is she there because of affirmative action?
If we would have said that Joy Reid and Michelle Obama and Sheila Jackson Lee and Ketanji Brown Jackson were affirmative action picks, we would have been called racists. Now they’re coming out and they’re saying it for us … You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously.
We need to have a Nuremberg-style trial for every gender-affirming clinic doctor. We need it immediately.
I think it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational.
America was at its peak when we halted immigration for 40 years and we dropped our foreign-born percentage to its lowest level ever. We should be unafraid to do that.
The American Democrat party hates this country. They wanna see it collapse. They love it when America becomes less white.
The great replacement strategy, which is well under way every single day in our southern border, is a strategy to replace white rural America with something different.
America has freedom of religion, of course, but we should be frank: large dedicated Islamic areas are a threat to America.
We’ve been warning about the rise of Islam on the show, to great amount of backlash. We don’t care, that’s what we do here. And we said that Islam is not compatible with western civilization.
Islam is the sword the left is using to slit the throat of America.
There is no separation of church and state. It’s a fabrication, it’s a fiction, it’s not in the constitution. It’s made up by secular humanists.
Today at noon close to 2000 individuals gathered at Mill Creek Park, 47th and Main, in Kansas City Missouri to protest the continuing shitshow of Donald Trump (r), his administration, and his sycophants and enablers.
Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D), who represents Kansas City as part of the 5th Congressional District, stopped by the demonstration to visit with and encourage his constituents.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D).
Representative Cleaver also spoke with media covering the demonstration.
….Question: ‘We’ve heard a lot of fear coming from voters, a lot of concern, that their vote is being disenfranchised because of this. Do you share in that fear? You know, what’s your message?’ [crosstalk]
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D): ‘Oh, absolutely. Uh, absolute. Just think about all of the business organizations, from the Chamber on up, or around, are denouncing this. And the reason is they believe that they will be disenfranchised because, uh, they don’t have a chance to elect, uh, someone whose views reflect theirs in terms of, of the economics of this community. So, the Chamber, the City Council have all come out strongly, saying this is wrong and it’s not helpful….’
….Question: Representative, are you confident you can hold on to a seat if this map is redrawn, or, what are you thinking?’
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D): ‘Well, I don’t know. Uh, but, what I do know is that, uh, they messed with the wrong person. If they thought I was going to lay down, uh, and just let it go….’
Question: ‘What do you think is the real reason they’re doing this?’
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D): ‘It’s pure, uh, politics because there is no rationale. You know, they can’t say, well, we wanted the Kansas City School District to be in one congressional district, or, I mean there’s nothing logical about it except what the president said. He needed, uh, some more seats because of his fear of losing the House in the, in next year’s election….’
….Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D): ….We were in, uh, Austria, uh, and I was in the hotel lobby and a woman walked up to me, she looked around to see if anyone was, uh, listening and she said, are you guys going to be all right? And I think that’s where the world is right now. They’re concerned about what’s happening in the United States.
Question: ‘Are we going to be all right?’
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D): Uh, I, I think the lights are flashing red right now. Uh, and it all depends on how we react, how we respond to this crisis….’
(Kansas City, MO) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) released the following statement after Governor Mike Kehoe announced a special session to redraw Missouri’s congressional map mid-decade, an unprecedented step taken at the direction of the president.
“I have had the privilege and distinct honor of serving the people of Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District. I have always understood one truth: this seat does not belong to me. It belongs to the people. And today, that truth is under assault.
“President Trump’s unprecedented directive to redraw our maps in the middle of the decade and without an updated census is not an act of democracy – it is an unconstitutional attack against it. This attempt to gerrymander Missouri will not simply change district lines, it will silence voices. It will deny representation. It will tell the people of Missouri that their lawmakers no longer wish to earn their vote, that elections are predetermined by the power brokers in Washington, and that politicians – not the people – will decide the outcome.
“Roughly 40% of Missourians cast their ballots for Democratic candidates last year, and they deserve representation in the People’s House just as much as our Republican neighbors. Yet, in attempting to dismantle the Fifth District, state lawmakers would be working to drown out Missouri voices in favor of a single man a thousand miles away. It is my sincere hope that they will not give in to this short-sighted and irresponsible demand.
“But let us be clear: Should this effort move forward, we will not concede.
“I will not surrender the voices of the people who entrusted me to fight for them. The people of the Fifth District and I will fight relentlessly to ensure Missouri never becomes an antidemocratic state, where politicians choose their voters instead of voters choosing their representatives. In the courts and at the ballot box, we will demand that the rule of law is upheld, our voices are heard, and democracy prevails.
“Our nation has endured wars, depressions, and great struggles for civil rights. And through it all, the principle that every vote counts has carried us forward. That principle is bigger than me, this seat, or any president looking to rig the rules for personal gain.
“This is the line we must not let them cross. This is the continuation of our unrelenting struggle for justice. I will fight with every ounce of strength I have to defend democracy – and practice prudence in the best interest of my constituents, Missouri, and the country we love.”
Jefferson City — Today, Governor Mike Kehoe announced that he has issued a proclamation to convene the General Assembly for a special session to enact legislation establishing updated congressional districts for the State of Missouri and amending the state’s initiative petition process.
The One Hundred Third General Assembly will convene for the Second Extraordinary Session of the First Regular Session in Jefferson City on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at 12:00 p.m.
“Today, I am calling on the General Assembly to take action on congressional redistricting and initiative petition reform to ensure our districts and Constitution truly put Missouri values first,” said Governor Kehoe. “This is about clarity for voters and ownership of our future, and I hope the legislature will work together to pass our Missouri First Map and critically needed IP reform.”
To establish updated congressional districts for the State of Missouri, Governor Kehoe unveiled the Missouri First Map, a more compact, contiguous proposed map that was drawn and created by his team in Missouri to be considered by the General Assembly.
[….]
The republican way – they choose their voters, the voters don’t choose their representatives.
(Kansas City, MO) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) released the following statement condemning President Trump’s unconstitutional executive order to pause all federal grants, loans, and assistance nationwide.
“President Trump’s unconstitutional order to pause all federal grants, loans, and financial assistance is causing mass confusion and chaos in communities nationwide, including right here in Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District. This blatantly unlawful action threatens to freeze federal loans to local small businesses, prevent nonprofits from receiving federal investments that enable critical services for our communities, pause disaster relief funding, and so much more.
“If allowed to go forward, it will increase costs on Missouri families on everything from energy, groceries, housing, school lunch programs, childcare, and healthcare—all while undermining the rule of law and attempting to usurp Congress’s power of the purse.
“This is an extraordinarily dangerous moment for our democracy and the Constitution, and it is imperative that the courts immediately reject these illegal and costly actions.”
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Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.
