JOPLIN, Mo. — Some hopefuls for a southwest Missouri congressional seat want to save money by putting the U.S. Department of Education on a permanent recess. Others propose melting down the Department of Energy. And another has said the Federal Reserve ought to shutter.

Conservatism is the coin of the realm for Tuesday’s congressional primary, and the roughly dozen candidates seeking to replace U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt in the 7th District generally have tacked to the political right.

That has meant pledges to reduce federal spending, cut taxes and support the military. It also has prompted candidates to support the wholesale elimination of federal agencies and some front-runners to endorse the repeal of a nearly century-old amendment to the U.S. Constitution that allows voters — instead of state legislatures — to elect U.S. senators.

Fundraising leader Billy Long, an auctioneer from Springfield, promotes himself as a political outsider and jokes that there is enough experience in Washington to “choke a horse.”

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got,” Long said. “We keep sending career politicians — lifetime people — to D.C. I think we need to send people from the business community.”

Other top competitors, state Sens. Jack Goodman and Gary Nodler, have pointed to their government experience.

Nodler, of Joplin, has served two terms in the Legislature and worked for a former southwest Missouri congressman and other federal agencies. Nodler says he can be effective immediately.

“That depth of experience and breadth of experience prepares me to begin on day one to do this job at this most critical time in our nation’s history where the fight for freedom is immediate and the time for training is limited,” Nodler said.

Goodman, of Mount Vernon, has seen his fundraising pick up in the campaign’s later stages. An attorney, he argues he has fixed numerous problems while serving in Missouri government and that there are plenty of repairs needed within the federal government, such as economic development and health care.

Congress “forced this (health care overhaul) through against the overwhelming, loud will of the people of this country,” Goodman said. “And that makes us for the first time as Americans, the subjects to a ruling elite in a far away city, and that’s what our founding fathers fought to free us from.”

Eight Republicans and two Democrats are competing in the primary to replace Blunt, who has represented the district since 1997 and this year is running for the U.S. Senate. The district stretches across southwest Missouri and includes Joplin, Springfield, Branson and Bolivar.

The election is one of the few competitive Missouri congressional primaries, and for the Republicans, it is likely to be closer than November’s general election.

The district is a conservative juggernaut. More than two-thirds of voters picked George W. Bush in 2004 and nearly as many opted for John McCain in 2008. Since World War II, only one Democrat has held the district — which then stretched farther north and east.

George Connor, head of the political science department at Missouri State University in Springfield, said the race will be decided in the GOP primary, where candidates have competed for the banner of the most conservative.

“That is what you have to do in any Republican primary and especially in the 7th district,” Connor said. “That is as conservative as you can get.”

Goodman and Long support allowing state legislatures to elect senators. Nodler said he supports the concept but doubts it is realistic.

With pledges to slash government spending, cut deficits and lower taxes, the leading Republican candidates also have proposed to aggressively chop the federal government.

Goodman has proposed eliminating the Department of Education. Nodler says education policy should be handled locally and cites the federal department as an example of wasteful federal spending, and Greene County prosecutor Darrell Moore said during a candidate debate at Missouri Southern State University that state and local governments should handle education issues. Goodman has suggested putting the Department of Energy and foreign aid on the chopping block, and Nodler says the federal government lacks the authority to spend money on things such as AIDS education, sex education and dues to the United Nations.

Moore, whose fundraising has lagged the leaders, has called for more spending on national defense.

Former state Rep. Steve Hunter, R-Joplin, says income taxes should be scrapped to make the Internal Revenue Service unnecessary. Hunter also wants to eliminate the Federal Reserve, instill eight-year term limits and reduce regulations on businesses.

“I’ve seen this country progressively go from land of the free, home of the brave to land of the fee, home of the slave,” Hunter said.

The Democratic candidates also point to conservative leanings. Tim Davis, an economist and attorney from Branson, contends that lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be abolished and that federal budget deficits need to be curtailed to promote economic development.

Scott Eckersley, an attorney for Republican ex-Gov. Matt Blunt who was fired after accusing his bosses of violating state records laws, contends that he is not beholden to any political party and criticized the federal bank bailout legislation and health care overhaul.

Eckersley has contributed to his campaign $100,000 from a $500,000 legal settlement with the state over his firing by the governor’s office.