By AP/KWMU
Kansas City, MO – Former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes made her run for Congress official on Monday; she will challenge current Sixth District Congressman Sam Graves.
Barnes, a Democrat, is leaning heavily on her family history throughout extreme Northwest Missouri.
"I believe that my philosophy is the one that is the most effective one and most represents American values," Barnes said.
Barnes rejected an overture by Democrats in 2005 to run for the seat, but had shown signs in recent months of changing her mind. She met with House leaders in Washington, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and attended the Democratic Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner.
Graves, who narrowly beat Democrat Steve Danner in 2000 and has enjoyed three easy re-elections since then, has greater experience, said campaign adviser Jeff Roe.
"Sam Graves represents the values of the 26 counties of the 6th District," Roe said. "She represents the values of the 26 blocks of downtown Kansas City. She will have a very difficult time convincing people in St. Joseph and the Northland that downtown Kansas City should get a second member of Congress."
Barnes announced her candidacy in front of her 94-year-old mother's home in St. Joseph.
She said her interest in running for Congress goes back to her father, who was a one-time chief of staff for Republican Congressman William C. Cole in northwest Missouri.
Barnes said she supports ending U.S. involvement in Iraq, saying the public was misled about the need to go to war. "I'm not suggesting a timeline at this point," she said. "We need to move in that direction."
She also said Congress needed firm benchmarks to measure progress in Iraq and that diplomacy "was not an adequate part of the equation and needed to be from this point on."