Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D) Elected 2004, 1st term
Born:	Oct. 26, 1944, Waxahachie, TX
Home:	Kansas City
Education:	Prairie View A&M U., B.S. 1968, St. Paul Schl. of Theology, M.Div. 1974
Religion:	Methodist
Marital Status:	married (Dianne)
Elected  Office:	Kansas City Cncl., 1979-91; mayor, 1991-99.
Professional Career:	Pastor, 1970-present; radio talk-show host, 2002-04.
DC Office	1641 LHOB20515, 202-225-4535; Fax: 202-225-4403; Web site: www.house.gov/cleaver
State Offices	Independence, 816-833-4545; Kansas City, 816-842-4545.
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Kansas City, named after a state it isn't in and a river it doesn't touch, is the center of one of America's large metro areas, the biggest on the central Great Plains. The first pioneers here started little towns on the bluffs above the Missouri River--Independence, Kansas City, Westport--that coalesced a few decades later. Here traders on the Santa Fe Trail set out to cross the Sand Hills of Kansas and reach Mexican territory; here Jayhawks and Bushwhackers set out to fight for control of Bleeding Kansas. Kansas City was a rail center and, in the 1920s, had one of the largest stockyards in the country, a major commercial center with lean skyscrapers and the Country Club Plaza, the first shopping center in America. It is famous for Harry Truman, who grew up on a farm now in the suburb of Grandview and who lived in his wife's family's house in Independence, the old county seat just to the east. It is famous also for its black community, and jazz musicians like Scott Joplin, Charlie Parker and Count Basie, and for its much-praised barbecue.

The 5th Congressional District of Missouri includes most of Kansas City, the largest city in Missouri, plus Grandview and the bulk of Independence. The more suburban slices of Jackson County to the east in Blue Springs (which is shared with the 4th District) and Lee's Summit have been filled with new subdivisions and some clashes over development. It also includes fast-growing Belton and Raymore along U.S. 71 in Cass County just to the south. Most of the metro area's landmarks, including the Truman home, are here. Much of the metropolitan area growth is across the state line in Kansas, where there has been more resistance to tax increases; a proposed bistate tax for the region was defeated at the polls. One-quarter of the district's residents are black, the second highest percentage among Missouri districts. Politically, the seat has been solidly Democratic. John Kerry carried it 59%-40%.

The congressman from the 5th District is Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat elected in 2004. He grew up in Waxahachie, Texas, in a three-room shack with no plumbing or electricity. He graduated from Prairie View A&M, moved to Kansas City and earned a divinity degree, then became pastor of St. James United Methodist Church. He was elected to the city council in 1979 and elected mayor in 1991. As mayor, Cleaver voiced support for the Clinton administration welfare reforms, which he described as "corrective surgery." He backed expansion of downtown's Bartle Hall Convention Center and supported the renovation of the deteriorating Liberty Memorial, the country's largest World War I memorial. In his second term he helped to create 300 jobs by luring a Harley Davidson factory to the city. After leaving office he hosted a radio talk show.

In December 2003, Democratic Congresswoman Karen McCarthy announced that she would not run for reelection, and Cleaver was widely expected to succeed her. Few expected just how tough Cleaver's road to Congress would be. In the primary he faced former National Security Council aide Jamie Metzl, who raised substantial funds, mostly from individuals. Metzl hammered Cleaver on ethics issues. He questioned the propriety of a loan that Cleaver took out to purchase a car wash business and criticized Cleaver for his failure to pay $36,000 in back taxes that he owed on the business. Cleaver managed to win the primary by 60%-40%. Metzl carried the district's portion of Cass County 59%-41% and ran 178 votes ahead in suburban Jackson County. But Cleaver led 68%-32% in Kansas City, where 57% of the votes were cast.

In the general election Cleaver faced Republican businesswoman Jeanne Patterson, who said she would spend whatever it took to make the race competitive. Patterson, whose husband is chief executive of Cerner, a Kansas City-based medical software provider, spent more than $3.2 million of her own money on the contest. Like Metzl, she made an issue of Cleaver's ethics. She talked about the bribery and fraud convictions of Cleaver's allies, though there was no evidence that he was involved in their crimes. Cleaver said that Patterson was politically inexperienced and was trying to buy the seat; he suggested that she was running to give Cerner influence on health care policy. He called himself a "hundred-aire" and criticized Patterson as a hypocrite for promising to create local jobs while her husband's company reportedly was outsourcing work to India. "Money does talk, and it is talking quite eloquently," he said in one debate. Cleaver won 55%-42%; Cleaver ran 4% behind John Kerry. Once again his Kansas City base came through: it cast 48% of the vote and went 71%-27% for Cleaver. Patterson carried suburban Jackson County 54%-43%.

Cleaver got a seat on the Financial Services Committee and said that he wanted to bring more civility to Congress. He continued preaching regularly at his church in Kansas City.

Committees

• Financial Services (29th of 32 D): Housing & Community Opportunity; Oversight & Investigations.

Election Results (More Info)
	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
2004 general	Emanuel Cleaver (D)	161,727	55%	$1,521,741
	Jeanne Patterson (R)	123,431	42%	$3,207,825
	Other	7,867	3%
2004 primary	Emanuel Cleaver (D)	72,810	60%
	Jamie Metzl (D)	48,607	40%
2002 general	Karen McCarthy (D)	122,645	66%	$445,602
	Steve Gordon (R)	60,245	32%	$4,059
	Other	3,277	2%

2004 Presidential Vote Kerry (D) 175,352 (59%) Bush (R) 118,915 (40%)

2000 Presidential Vote Gore (D) 149,621 (60%) Bush (R) 91,626 (37%)

For 1992 and 1996 presidential results in the Fifth District, please see the Almanac 2000 online. Please note that these older returns reflect district lines as they existed prior to 2002 redistricting.

• Cook Partisan Voting Index: D +12
• District Size: 519 square miles
• Population in 2000: 621,691; 96.1% urban; 3.9% rural
• Median Household Income: $38,311; 12.4% are below the poverty line
• Occupation: 22.7% blue collar; 61.8% white collar; 15.4% gray collar; 14.0% military veterans
• Race/Ethnic Origin: 66.3% White, 24.2% Black, 1.3% Asian, 0.4% Amer. Indian, 0.2% Hawaiian, 1.9% Two+ races, 0.1% Other, 5.6% Hispanic origin
• Ancestry: 13.5% German, 8.8% Irish, 7.5% English
• Click here for statewide demographic data.