Atchison County sheriff endorses Willett in open Missouri congressional race

Atchison County Sheriff Andy Riley has lined up behind Nathan Willett in the open race for Missouri’s 6th Congressional District, putting a local law-enforcement stamp on a contest already shaped by family ties, redrawn borders and the retirement of U.S. Rep. Sam Graves. Riley’s endorsement gives Willett another visible boost in a district where hometown roots and public-safety credentials are likely to matter.

The endorsement lands as Missouri’s 6th District moves toward its Republican primary on Aug. 4, the first without an incumbent in 26 years. Graves announced in March that he will retire after 26 years in Congress, ending a long era in a district he has represented since 2001. New congressional lines approved in 2025 also took effect for the 2026 elections, expanding the district to include more of Kansas City’s northern suburbs and some rural central Missouri, while still covering most of northern Missouri.

Willett’s campaign has leaned hard on his Atchison County background. Campaign material says his family has made its living here as farmers and blacksmiths for generations, and local reporting has traced those roots to Rock Port High School graduates James Hall and Jane LaHue Philip. Willett, who has been identified as a Kansas City councilman and teacher, highlighted Riley’s endorsement on social media.

Riley brings his own law-enforcement resume to the race. He graduated from Tarkio High School in 1987 and has worked in military law enforcement and sheriff’s-office service. He won the Republican primary in 2024 after running as one of four candidates for Atchison County sheriff, and his backing carries weight in a county where deputies, jail staff and rural law enforcement work sit close to the daily concerns of residents.

Willett has also been making the rounds locally. He held an ice cream social in Rock Port on May 4, where more than 20 people turned out at Rock Port City Hall to hear him talk about his work on the Kansas City Council and his plans for Atchison County if elected. In a district now more competitive than before, Riley’s endorsement underscores how much this race is being fought on local trust, county identity and the kind of public service voters expect from the next member of Congress.