The race for Missouri 7th Congressional District was already a crowded field with another candidate throwing her hat into the ring on Thursday. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.

Audrey Richards is the latest candidate to announce her candidacy for Missouri’s 7th District Congressional. Richards made her official announcement on Thursday, although she had been hinting at running for months. She’s the 5th candidate and the only woman in the race for Missouri’s 7th District after Billy Long announced that he was running for the US Senate early last month after Senator Roy Blunt announced that he would not seek a 3rd term.

Candidates who have also announced their intention to run for Long’s seat include Sam Alexander, State Senators Eric Burlison and Mike Moon, and Derral Reynolds. There is still plenty of time for more candidates to join the race. The filing deadline isn’t until March 29 of next year, with the primary election scheduled to be held on Tuesday, August 2. For 89 9 KRPS, I’m Fred Fletcher-Fierro