The district is currently represented by Republican Mark Alford, a former reporter for WDAF-TV, the city's Fox affiliate.

The Union Army ordered evacuation of the county in an attempt to reduce support for and the power of bushwhacker guerrillas.

Gradually this area developed a character similar to yellow dog Democrat districts in the South.

To compensate for the loss of territory closer to Kansas City, large portions of heavily Republican Southwest Missouri were reassigned from the neighboring 7th district.

Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) won every single county in MO-04 and swept the district with 60.58 percent of the vote while U.S.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) swept the district by a convincing margin over U.S.