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5th District primary candidates ask judge to nullify August results after different map to be used in November

ABC17News.com · September 17, 2026

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Candidates from this past August’s Republican primary in Missouri’s 5th Congressional district have filed a lawsuit in Cole County.

The lawsuit says Brett Hueffmeier, Micah Beebe, Jana Morris, Michael Morris and Peter Smedile filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, candidate Rick Brattin and the state’s Republican party after Hoskins told county clerks to use a 2022 congressional map after a year-long back and forth in the courts.

An alleged gerrymandered map – the “Missouri First” map that critics claimed gave Republicans an advantage in the state’s Fifth District -- was used during the August primary. Hoskins had been determined to have been in contempt when he told clerks to use the 2025 map, according to previous reporting.

Now that the map with old congressional boundaries are being used in November, Republican candidates are asking for the court to toss out the results. The

The plaintiffs argue a “party nominating committee” could be authorized to pick the party’s candidate for the General Election.