Conservative radio host Chris Stigall is leaving his nationally syndicated morning show on the Salem Radio Network to run for Congress in Missouri’s 6th District.
The announcement came hours after Republican Rep. Sam Graves confirmed he is retiring after 25 years in office, opening one of northern Missouri’s most reliably Republican seats.
Stigall posted a video to X Friday morning, calling Graves’ retirement “very sudden news” and saying the timing forced a decision he had been thinking through for some time.
Could I have a couple of minutes? I’ve made a big decision. pic.twitter.com/c1gw0uyovq
— Chris Stigall (@ChrisStigall) March 27, 2026
“For 25 years, I’ve had the blessing of talking with you about the issues that face our nation,” Stigall said. “But in the last few years, we’ve watched a government that became completely out of control.”
He pointed to pandemic-era policies as the tipping point: business closures, vaccine mandates, and what he described as government “surveillance and censorship.” Those years convinced him, he said, that talking about the problems was no longer enough.
Stigall joined Salem Media Group’s Philadelphia morning show in November 2019 and was added to the Kansas City lineup the following year. In December 2024, he was named morning host for the Salem Radio Network nationally, succeeding Hugh Hewitt.
Trump as the Deciding Factor
Stigall was blunt about what pushed him to run.
“He didn’t need that job, but he cared enough about the country to put it all on the line,” Stigall said of Donald Trump. “What President Trump sacrificed inspired me. It’s hung with me a lot, and frankly haunted me for a while, that I need to do a lot more than just talk about it.”
He told listeners the decision came after prayer and conversations with his family, and that the country’s 250th anniversary made the moment feel right.
“It’s time to put up or shut up,” he said. “That’s why I’ve decided I’m going to leave my show, I’m going to leave this microphone, and I’m going to enter the arena today.”
An Open Seat and a Crowded Field
The seat Stigall is running for is solidly Republican. Graves, 62, chaired the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and served 13 terms before deciding not to seek a 14th. He announced his retirement on Facebook Friday morning, writing that he believes in “making room for the next generation.”
The open seat is drawing attention well beyond northern Missouri. According to the Missouri Independent, the Republican primary could become a proxy fight between Trump-aligned forces and the political network built by Jeff Roe, founder of Kansas City-based Axiom Strategies. Trump publicly criticized Roe after his work on Ron DeSantis’ 2024 super PAC campaign, and Trump aides have since urged House Republicans not to hire him.
Candidate filing closes March 31. As of Friday, Jim Ingram, a Kansas City veteran and retired business owner, had already filed. Three Democrats are also in the race.
What Happens at Salem
Salem Radio Network told Inside Radio that Jen Horn, morning host at AM 870 The Answer KRLA in Los Angeles, and Mark Davis, morning host at 660 AM The Answer KSKY in Dallas, will fill in over the next several weeks while the network searches for a permanent replacement.
Stigall closed his announcement with a direct appeal to voters.
“Today I’m going to stop talking, and I’m going to start fighting,” he said. “I’m running to earn your vote. I covet your prayers. I thank you for listening, and now it’s time to get to work.”
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