KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The midterm election Tuesday was expected to feature a few close races, but several other candidates enjoyed a far less stressful evening.
Incumbent Rep. Sam Graves, a Republican who represents Missouri’s 6th District, and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, a Democrat who represents Missouri’s 5th district, easily won reelection.
Graves won the seat for the 12th consecutive time. He was first elected to Congress in 2000.
Cleaver — a former Kansas City, Missouri, mayor — won for the 10th straight time and has been in Congress since 2004.
Cleaver again faced off against persistent Republican challenger Jacob Turk, while Graves turned back Democratic challenger Henry Martin.
On the Kansas side, Rep. Jake LaTurner, a Republican who represents the 2nd District, survived an upset bid by Democratic challenger Patrick Schmidt to win a second term in Congress.
Sen. Jerry Moran was among the first federal races in the Midwest to be called. He was projected to cruise to re-election for a third time an hour after the polls closed, according to NBC and the AP.
