Longtime politician Vicky Hartzler is taking on newcomer John Webb for Missouri's 4th Congressional District seat on the Republican ticket.
Both have a conservative platform, but Webb said Hartzler isn't conservative enough and wants Congress to follow the Constitution strictly. They agreed the federal government should scale back its reach but propose varying methods to achieve that.
Hartzler said one of the main issues is the economy - wages are stagnant and job growth is slow. Changing regulations make it difficult for businesses to keep up, America's corporate tax rate makes the country noncompetitive with other countries, and the president's Affordable Care Act is burdening businesses, she said.
"We just need to make our policies right, make it more business-friendly and to provide that stability that they need," she said.
Her second priority is national security, increasing the defense budget and rebuilding the military to stifle threats against the country. Defense spending has decreased at a time when there are increased threats against the nation, she said.
"I supported stopping the refugees until the director of the FBI can certify them," Hartzler said. "Effectively it will stop them from coming to our country. We're a very generous nation, and we need to make sure first and foremost that we have our own house in order."
Webb also said the economy can be improved by slashing regulations against businesses.
"The government got into the business of strangling businesses with regulations," he said. "It's anti-productive. Is it easier to carry 5 pounds or 1,000 pounds? It's easier to carry a 5-pound government."
He believes in eliminating the current tax system and replacing it with fair tax. Fair tax would disband the IRS and essentially abolish most taxes - income tax, Social Security and Medicaid - and replaces it with a federal retail sales tax.
"It's conceivable, but we have to have people willing to fight and willing to take on the task of making America succeed again," he said. "We need to be competitive."
Webb agrees with a strong military but disagrees with "arbitrary" budget increases for any aspect of the federal budget. Every item should be challenged, and there should be accountability and justification on spending increases. If voted into office, Webb wants to go through each item and weigh whether the department should receive more funding.
Education is another issue Hartzler believes should operate predominantly on a state level and in accordance with the Constitution. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is an improvement from No Child Left Behind, which was considered a failure, she said. ESSA restored more control over the states while encouraging high academic achievement.
"As a former teacher, I think it's vital we have a quality education," she said. "I think there's always room to ask, 'How can we do it better?'"
Webb's view returns to the Constitution and the lack of reference to education in the document. He said education isn't the federal government's job, that it should be reserved for state government. The federal Department of Education should exist only to disperse funding to the states, and the states should decide how it should be used, he said.
He said he's the best candidate because he has the "grit" to challenge the government, and that while he won't be popular with the rest of Congress, he's going to try to bring the government under control.
Hartzler claims her experience as a lifelong farmer, teacher and small-business owner is the reason she's the best candidate. There's still more work that can be done, she said, and she wants to continue that work.
VICKY HARTZLER
Age: 55
Occupation: 4th District U.S. congresswoman
Hometown: rural Cass County
Why run: "My whole life has been in the district. I listen to and understand their concerns with the government. I'm a fighter for them. I want to be able to continue that."
Past experience: Hartzler was raised in rural Cass County on a farm and earned a bachelor's degree from University of Missouri and her master's degree in education from the University of Central Missouri, according to her website. She spent 11 years as a public school teacher in Lebanon and Belton and is also a small-business owner.
She started her career in public service in 1994 as a state representative and joined the U.S. Congress in 2010, serving on the House Budget, Agriculture and Armed Services committees, and was appointed as the chairwoman of the Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee.
Proudest moment: One of her proudest moments as a congresswoman was preserving 1,200 homes that were ordered to be destroyed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission because they were below an "arbitrary" shoreline designation.
Family: Hartzler and her husband, Lowell, and their daughter reside on a working farm near Harrisonville in Cass County.
JOHN WEBB
Age: 62
Occupation: Computer consulting business owner
Hometown: Cass County
Why run: "I believe God put me on this path. He opened my eyes and ears to what was going on around me and a need for somebody to change the course to try and bring us back to where we were - to the Constitution and Declaration."
Past experience: Webb spent 12 years with the Kansas City Police Department, which strengthened his desire to protect the Constitution and the principles surrounding it.
Main issue: The federal government has overstepped its boundaries, he said, and has become tyrannical, overstepping its charter and the limited constraints outlined in the Constitution. The Constitution was meant to limit the government, not the people; and anything the government does beyond the Constitution is illegal, he said.
Family: Webb and his wife, Mary Ramona, of 36 years have two children and four grandchildren.