Jonathan Shorman

News-Leader

He lacks name recognition and funding, but one Springfield Republican is seeking to oust U.S. Rep. Billy Long in the August primary by punching hard — going after Long's international travel and seeking to paint the congressman as out of touch with southwest Missouri.

Marshall Works, who works in insurance, describes himself as an independent Republican, a fiscal conservative seeking common sense in government. The Springfield man is not impressed with Long's record.

"Frankly, I don't think he's done much. Not only has he not done much, he hasn't done a very good job of what he has done," Works said.

Long, first elected in 2010, said he takes his job seriously and has not missed a vote in the 113th Congress. He said he has been an effective legislator, working with both Democrats and Republicans.

"I'm a workhorse, I'm not a showhorse," Long said.

Long points to his seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee as well as his taxpayer transparency act, which passed the House unanimously earlier this year. The bill, which is sitting in the Senate, requires government agencies to disclose when advertisements have been paid for with tax money.

In addition, Long said he has been involved in the controversy surrounding the Blueways designation for the White River in Missouri. Some critics feared the Blueways program, designed to further conservation, was actually a step toward federal control.

"We had a field hearing and got the Department of Interior to back off that plan," Long said.

Long also advocates for expanding domestic oil production by developing oil production in Alaska.

In an interview, Works had the harshest words for Long when it came to the Congressman's international travel. Long is among the most frequent travelers in the Congress.

In March, the News-Leader reported Long ranked 20th among members of Congress when it came to the total cost of privately funded trips. In Long's case, it was about $46,960.

The trips included jaunts to Las Vegas, Boston, Shanghai, Istanbul and Azerbaijan.

"I know a boondoggle when I see one. And here's a guy that has accepted $47,000 worth of graft for he and his wife to go on vacations. My wife and I love to travel but we pay for our own vacations," Works said.

Long has strongly defended his travel, both in the past and in a Friday interview with the News-Leader. He said he represents his constituents abroad and that the trips can help Springfield businesses.

For example, after his trip to Shanghai, China, Long said a constituent thanked him for making the trip. During the trip, Long attended meetings with Chinese officials and business leaders to discuss trade issues and business opportunities in the country.

"I think it's ridiculous," Long said of the attacks on his travel.

Long has also said the trips help him become more informed on a range of issues.

"It's important for members of Congress to travel. We make decisions about the world," Long told the News-Leader earlier this year. "Anytime you do something like that, you're picking up knowledge that's going to help you in your career as a congressman."

Works does not buy that explanation.

"That's a guy that's not doing his job and worse yet he's trying to justify not doing it by saying as a congressman he needs to educate himself. What did you learn in Azerbaijan? What did you learn the two times you went to Vegas?" Works said.

Works also faults Long and Congress as a whole for the government shutdown this fall, which he said happened because Tea Party Republicans failed to negotiate a deal. Works said he shares much of the same beliefs as the Tea Party but disagrees with its methods.

"They just go in and say it's my way or no way and we're not budging and I think the people of this corner of the state deserve better than this," Works said.

What does better mean? According to Works, his agenda includes undertaking an audit of tax spending and revisiting the recommendation of the Bowles-Simpson report, which proposed a combination of spending cuts and tax increases — about $3 in cuts for every $1 in new revenue.

Works also says the country needs "more makers and fewer takers" according to a flier he distributes. He writes he will propose legislation to encourage young adults to volunteer in exchange for secondary education or training credits.

Works' campaign comes in the shadow of Rep. Eric Cantor's Virginia primary loss in June. Among the most powerful Republicans in Congress, his loss to professor Dave Brat raised the possibility that other incumbent Republicans could be unseated.

So far, that has not happened. Mississippi Sen. Thad Chochran successfully fended off Tea Party challenger Chris McDaniel a few weeks ago.

But the Long-Works contest is different in that Works is not trying to mount a challenge from the right of Long but is instead branding himself an independent.

Works said defeating Long will be much more difficult than Brat's victory over Cantor, the majority floor leader. Still, he said "maybe lightning will strike twice."

"This is much more of a David and Goliath thing than Dave Brat and Eric Cantor. But I'm OK with that. I knew that going in," Works said.

Long said he takes all of his races seriously — before Cantor's loss and after Cantor's loss. Cantor's district suffered, Long said, because of Cantor's position in leadership.

For his part, Long said he returns to the district three or four times a month, adding he also has good staff in the district.

Though Works faults Long for being out of touch with the district, Works has only lived in Springfield since last year. Before that he lived in the St. Louis area.

Works said the concerns and interests of voters in other parts of the country are not so different than those in southwest Missouri.

Democrats compete in primary

Southwest Missouri Democrats will choose a congressional candidate on Aug. 5. Whoever wins will face a Republican challenger in the fall in a heavily conservative area of the state.

Jim Evans, a retired teacher who ran against Billy Long in the general election in 2012, is once again running for the Democratic nomination. This time, he's facing 26-year-old Genevieve Williams, a college student.

Evans has said he is committed to fiscal responsibility and will defend Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans benefits.

Evans' campaign has also criticized Long for taking privately paid trips to Las Vegas and overseas and for acting to shut down the government.

Williams is a journalism student at MSU, but is originally from Neosho.

Williams also helped run the "Joplin Tornado Info" website and Facebook page, which became a clearinghouse for information after the 2011 disaster. The Facebook page has attracted more than 45,000 likes.