Congressman Cleaver Stresses Urban-Rural Connection In Re-Election

Missouri’s 5th District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver got 60 percent of the vote and an easy win over Republican opponent Jacob Turk.

It was Cleaver’s first venture into a district that had expanded east into rural Lafayette and Saline counties.

Cleaver chairs the Congressional Black Caucus. In his victory speech, he alluded to the misperception that urban and rural interests are at odds. As an example, the congressman picked a $16 billion cut in the SNAP food stamp program that would hurt urban poor.

“Let us keep in mind that that $16 billion would go to farmers," says Cleaver. "So what we’ve got to do in this country is to make sure that people understand the connectivity.”

Cleaver challenged other members of Congress to find common ground, saying gridlock had made the body an embarrassment.