Incumbent Mark Alford is challenged by attorney Jordan Herrera in the 4th District race for the U.S. House of Representatives. In the August primaries, both campaigned within a different redistricted map than the one finally approved by the Supreme Court in September.
Mark Alford (R)
“My time covering the Show-Me State’s top news stories allowed me to connect with thousands of Missouri families from all walks of life, providing insight into the issues and struggles most important to them. It also gave me the opportunity to hone my God-given talents as a professional communicator, enhancing my voice to inform, influence, and inspire millions of people across Missouri.”
In 2022, he won the election and became a US Congressman from Raymore. His platform, according to his website, is to support the pro-life cause; reduce reckless spending and get the economy back on track; protect the right to bear guns; fight efforts to defund the police; ensure that education is handled by the states; protect farmers from EPA over-regulation; implement term limits; and secure the border.
On the topic of data centers, Alford says the standards are already being put in place. “House Republicans have already taken action by passing the Ratepayer Protection Act to ensure big tech can’t pass on energy costs to you. But that’s not enough.”
Alford says there are many questions to examine.
“Until we determine those facts, we think it wise to pause the expansion on data centers as we listen and learn together for the betterment of Missouri.”
As for the economy, Alford says, “I’m not just paying lip service to the cost-of-living crisis that is crushing hardworking Missourians. I’m taking real action to address it.” The congressman refers to the year-round sale of E-15 fuel—” lowering gas prices by 15 to 20 cents a gallon while opening vital new markets for our Missouri corn farmers.”
“At the grocery store, beef prices are going through the roof, while our hard-working ranchers get squeezed. That’s why I fought to get my A-PLUS Act through the House as part of the 2026 Farm Bill,” he says. “It cuts red tape, empowers local processors to compete with the big conglomerates, and brings lower beef prices back to your dinner table.”
On affordable housing, Alford says he championed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act which boosts construction and expands lending.
Recently Mark Alford secured $18 million in federal grant money for highway and freight infrastructure in Belton.
Alford chairs the House Small Business Committee subcommittee oversight, investigations and regulations, and is the vice chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on military construction, veterans’ affairs and related agencies.
Jordan Herrera (D)
In 2022 he retired from the military to study law. In just two years he received his law degree from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. He worked as an assistant attorney for the Missouri Attorney General where he helped shape transgender and HIV policy in the Missouri prisons as well as defended the public parks system.
Herrera says he is more experienced in foreign policy than the other candidates claiming to have been involved in the Status of Forces Agreements (SOFA) discussions in Turkey and Germany. He is critical of “war without evidence or exit strategy.”
As a Latino American, Herrera is very interested in securing a more humane immigration policy. He believes better economic partnerships with countries that have a high immigration rate could help decrease the migration.
Herrera believes there may be practical solutions for data centers. “Data centers have been around for over a century. So, we have to be clear about our language on what we are talking about and how we address that problem. For me, clean nuclear power could be one of the solutions [to AI-generated data centers].”
Herrera isn’t referring to the large nuclear facilities associated with Chernobyl or Three-Mile Island. Rather, he specifies the fourth-generation small mobile reactors (SMR) about the size of a gas station that produces clean energy. “I’m a green technology guy. I want to make sure that we are going to zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
On the subject of taxation, he is pessimistic of trickle-down economics and believes the top 1% to 5% of corporations should be paying taxes rather than the working class. “I don’t believe in taxing working people if we’re going to put in tools and algorithms which are going to displace workers. Let’s tax the things that are displacing workers, like data centers and AI [based corporations].”
