No Longer a Jacob Turk Supporter

Editor’s Note: Bev Ehlen, President of Concerned Women of America Missouri, has written a personal open letter to the voters of Missouri’s 8th Senatorial District. This comes on the heels of Missouri Right to Life endorsing Mike Cierpiot for the Senate seat in the Nov. 7 election.

Dear Editor:

I am addressing an issue that I never thought would be necessary. I have supported Jacob Turk ever since he first ran for public office. He ran on the same issues that were important to me. My support for him must now end. Let me explain.

Senator Will Kraus resigned from the Missouri State Senate in July. The process to elect his replacement is clearly spelled out in state law when a vacancy such as this occurs. The candidate for each party is selected by its local county committee. All 114 counties in Missouri have a Republican and Democrat Central Committee whose members have been elected by the party members in their town-ships/wards. One of the most important responsibilities a committeeman or committeewoman has is choosing its party’s candidate in a special election.

In State Senate District 8 in eastern Jackson County the DULY ELECTED county committees of BOTH parties met, as required by state law, to choose its candidate. The eighteen members of the Republican Committee, chose Mike Cierpiot as their candidate with 13 of the 18 votes. The eighteen members of the Democrat Committee chose Hillary Shields as their candidate. Jacob solicited the members of the Republican committee, just as Mike Cierpiot and one other individual did to gain the support of the members of the committee. The members of the Republican Committee chose Mike Cierpiot.

However, after losing his effort to be chosen as the Republican candidate by the Republican committee for the special election on Nov. 7, Turk found he could run as an independent candidate if he could get enough signatures on a petition. He collected signatures and got his place on the ballot-as an Independent.

The entry of a third party in this election could result in electing the Democrat who has been endorsed by every lef-wing group in Missouri including the National Abortion Rights Action League. Jacob Turk has run as a Republican in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014 and yet again in 2016. He has never been elected so he doesn’t have a voting record but he has run on the values of the Republican Party Platforms for over ten years. With that in mind, one would assume Turk’s votes would come close to matching those recorded votes that Rep. Mike Cierpiot has made in his seven years in the Missouri House. Why would Jacob Turk jeopardize the pro-life, pro-family values of the Republican Party running as an Independent? If it’s about the issues, Turk should be campaigning for the Republican Candidate Mike Cierpiot. Every vote that Jacob Turk gets will take away from pro-life Candidate Mike Cierpiot.

I would strongly urge every pro-life, pro-family, conservative voter in State Senate District 8 to vote for Mike Cierpiot on Tuesday, Nov. 7 and not allow Jacob Turk to become the Ross Perot of 2017.

Bev Ehlen

Missouri State Director for

Concerned Women for America

Title used for identification purposes only.