Who are the many candidates in the August 7 Primary? Here is the latest information available.
Democrat Candidates
CARLA (COFFEE) WRIGHT
BIO: Graduate of St. Louis Community College at Forest Park;9 no professional, or prior political experience found. Member, Universal African Peoples Organization (UAPO); see website for information on issues.
WEBSITE
ANGELICA EARL
BIO: AA, Liberal Studies, St. Louis Community College (2015); no prior political experience found; works as a verification specialist, SERCO, Incorporated since 2016; no religious or civic memberships found. Endorsements include The Progressive Ballot: LegalizeMissouri; NCPF (National Coalition for a Progressive Future), Local Berniecrats.10
LEONARD JOSEPH STEINMAN II
BIO: Born in Jefferson City, Missouri; Catholic; education includes completion of coursework at Welding Technologies, Nichols Center (1984); candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 and 2014; candidate for Missouri House of Representatives, 2008; current member of the Cole County Democratic Committee; served the Navy from 1971-1975; has worked owner/operator, instructor, and buyer.
WEBSITE: None found.
JOHN HOGAN
BIO: Previously a candidate for Missouri Senate (2000), U.S. House of Representatives (2002, 2004,2006, 2008). No photo available.
WEBSITE: None found.
TRAVIS GONZALEZ
BIO: Born in Guam on January 13, 1988; currently lives in Trenton, Missouri. Prior candidate for Missouri House (2012), U.S. House of Representatives (2016) and U.S. Senate (2018). No other professional experience or memberships found.
DAVID FAUST
No biographical information or website found. No photo available.
CLAIRE MCCASKILL (Incumbent)
BIO: Born 7/24/1953 in Rolla, Missouri; Current United States Senator from Missouri; BS, Political Science, University of Missouri-Columbia (1975); JD, University of Missouri Law School, 1978; Missouri House of Representatives (1983-1988), ran for governor in Missouri in 2004, Missouri State Auditor 1999-2006; legislative committees include Armed Services, Finance, Homeland Security, and various other subcommittees; member, White House Commission for Drug Free Communities; prior work includes prosecutor, assistant prosecutor, and as clerk for the Missouri Court of Appeals (KC). Ballotpedia.org reports McCaskill’s net worth in 2012 as $20,969,104.11
ISSUES: Senator McCaskill voted “no” on the confirmation vote for Neil M. Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Voted against an amendment to repeal the ACA (OBAMACARE) on July 26, 2017. Voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1) on December 20, 2017. In 2008, Senator McCaskill was an early supporter of Barack Obama who she endorsed for president over Hillary Clinton. In 2016, she endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. In 2018 alone, Claire McCaskill has raised over $17.5 million from contributors including Centene Corp. ($357,178), Washington University in St. Louis ($265,691) and the University of Missouri ($196,420).12
Ratings and Endorsements: Consistently endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action Fund (100%), NARAL Pro-Choice America (100%) but received a 0% rating from the National Right to Life Committee (2017-2018).13
Republican Candidates
TONY MONETTI
BIO: Decorated veteran served as a B-52 bomber pilot; married; founder, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Johnson County, MO; Small business owner and assistant dean of aviation at the University of Central Missouri;2 BS, Political Science, U.S. Air Force (1987); Master’s degrees from Webster University (1993) and Air University (2002); no prior candidacies for political office; Endorsed by Sarah Palin. See candidate website for stands on issues including immigration reform, economy & jobs, healthcare, education, gun rights, and religion.
AUSTIN PETERSEN
BIO: Born in Independence, Missouri; graduate, Missouri State University in Musical Theatre; candidate, President of the United States (2016); No religious, civic, or other organizational memberships found.3 Endorsements: Republican Liberty Caucus, Missouri State Representative Mark Matthiesen (District 70), and other former congressmen, and individuals.4
JOSH HAWLEY
BIO: Josh currently holds the elected position of Attorney General for the state of Missouri. He is married and has two children; BA, History from Stanford University (2002); JD, Yale Law School (2006). He served as a Judicial Clerk in the Court of Appeal and the United States Supreme Court from 2007-2008. He has worked as an attorney from 2008 to 2011 and an associate professor of law at the University of Missouri, School of Law. Worked on the U.S. Supreme Court decision Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2014); “Hawley was instrumental to obtaining the landmark victory that protects the religious liberty of all Americans”10
ISSUES: Supports Ethics Reform in Jefferson City that will include the AGs office; Pro Second Amendment; Pro-life; Protect Missouri farmers by stopping Obama’s “Clean Power Plan” in court; Opposes the EPA’s WOTUS rule; Fix the illegal immigration problem and border security problems; Stop frivolous lawsuits with Tort Reform; Defend Religious liberty and continue to push back on Obamacare.
Ratings and Endorsements: National Rifle Association 86% (2016); The Club for Growth (2018); Missouri Farm Bureau Federation (2017); Gun Owners of America (2016)
FRED RYMAN
BIO: Grew up in Texas where he worked as a mechanic and helped run a vending type business to help pay for college; candidate, U.S. Senate (2016). BS, Mathematics from Texas A&M; high school math and computer science teacher; BA, Theology from Howard Payne. Worked as pastor for nearly ten years until 2008. He currently works as an assistant sales manager in Columbia, Missouri.5 See website for additional information.
CHRISTINA SMITH
BIO: Attended California School of Law (2014); BS, Political Science (Lincoln University) 2010; certified in Civil and Family Mediation (Missouri State University) 2009. No prior political experience found; no known religious or civic memberships.
KRISTI NICHOLS
BIO: From Independence, Missouri; Tea Party Organizer and previous candidate for U.S. Senate from Missouri in 2010 and 2016; has worked as a publisher, pastor, sales manager, and a small business owner; no religious or civic memberships found. See website for additional information.
BRADLEY KREMBS No information, photo or website available for this candidate.
KEN PATTERSON
BIO: Born in Blue Springs, Missouri; currently lives in Lee’s Summit with his wife and children; holds a bachelor’s degree and MD from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Website for this candidate goes to a site for “Jon Patterson for State Representative” with a “#2018.” The Secretary of State’s Office shows Ken Patterson with a home address in Eureka, Missouri, as a candidate for U.S. Senate from Missouri.6 The pictures of the candidate on his website and from votesmart.org appear to be for the same person. Ken Patterson is listed as candidate for U.S. Senate from Missouri and Jon Patterson is listed on the Secretary of State (Missouri) website as candidate for Missouri State Representative from District 30.7 A quick look at the candidate’s Facebook page (link found on the website) shows the candidate campaigning for state representative seat.
WEBSITE: WEBSITE
BRIAN G. HAGG
BIO: No information, photo or website available for this candidate.
COURTLAND SYKES
BIO: Holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts (ALB) from Harvard (2014); no prior political experience; prior work experience includes intelligence analyst (U.S. Navy 2002-2011), defense analyst (Defense Intelligence Agency 2008-2011), corporate innovation and business development (2014-2015), military and veterans representative (U.S. Congress 2016-2017) and currently works as a managing director.8 See website for additional information
PETER PFEIFER
BIO: Former Alderman, City of Brentwood, Missouri; vice president of sales for Hilliker Corporation (1999-2016); independent real estate professional (2017-present). Member, Sunnyhill Incorporated board of directors (2008-present).
Libertarian
JAPHETH CAMPBELL
BIO: Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas; No prior political experience found; MS, Entertainment Business, Full Sail University; No professional experience found and no religious or civic memberships found. See website for more information.
Green Party
JO CRAIN
BIO: See candidate Facebook page for information on issues and background.
JEROME BAUER No substantive information, photo or website could be found for this candidate.
