MISSOURI STATE SENATE
DISTRICT 8 – Lee’s Summit/Blue Springs/Independence/Eastern Jackson County
Mike Cierpiot is our choice over his challenger, Hillary Shields. She is a professional paralegal and is also a community organizer and paid political protester. Endorsed by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), Shields engages in radically liberal causes through her involvement with the organization, Indivisible Kansas City—indivisiblekc.com.
Cierpiot, the incumbent, won a special election for the open seat for the State Senate in District 8 (Eastern Jackson County) a year ago over Shields. That special election was called by the former Governor after the resignation of former Senator Will Kraus to accept a gubernatorial appointment to the Missouri Tax Commission. If re-elected, Cierpiot will serve a full four-year term. He is endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life PAC.
MISSOURI HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
District 14 – Kansas City/Platte County/North of the River
Kevin Corlew is the clear choice in District 14. Corlew is an attorney who serves as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the Missouri House of Representatives. He is endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life Political Action Committee (PAC). His opponent, Matt Sain, is endorsed by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). Sain is a law clerk at a Kansas City law firm after moving from St. Louis in 2015.
District – 17 Kansas City/Clay County
Vote against Steve West. See our reasons why HERE.
District 17 – Kansas City/Clay County (North of the River)
Mary Hill, the Republican candidate for State Representative in District 17 is our pick over incumbent Democrat, Mark Ellebracht, who is seeking his second term. He is endorsed by the National Abortion Right Action League (NARAL), while Mary Hill is endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life PAC.
District 20 – Independence/NE Jackson County
Bill E. Kidd is our recommendation for District 20. He is seeking his third term against Democrat challenger, Jessica Merrill. Kidd is endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life PAC and Merrill is endorsed by the National Abortion Rights Action League. Kidd is a former small business owner and reserve Deputy Sheriff in Jackson County and is a member of the command staff for the Jackson County Emergency Operations Center.
District 23 – South Kansas City
David Martin is our choice as the Republican candidate for District 23, challenging the Democratic incumbent, Barbara Washington. Martin is endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life PAC and Washington is endorsed by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL).
District 30 – Lee’s Summit/Independence
Jon Patterson, a Lee’s Summit physician, is our choice to fill the open seat for State Representative, District 30 (Lee’s Summit/Independence). Patterson is endorsed by Missouri Right to Life PAC. Ryana Parks-Shaw is his Democrat challenger. She is a health care executive and is endorsed by the National Abortion Right Action League (NARAL). Brad Eichstadt, a Libertarian candidate, is also on the ballot.
District 31 – Blue Springs
Dan Stacy is our pick for District 30, running against Democrat challenger, Travis Hagewood. Stacy is endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life PAC and his opponent, Hagewood is endorsed by the National Abortion Right Action League (NARAL). Stacy is a former high school band director, college music professor and a church worship leader. He is very active in Republican politics throughout Jackson County and is known as a strong conservative.
District 32– Blue Springs/Grain Valley
Jeff Coleman is our recommendation for this open seat that is being vacated by Representative Jeanie Lauer, who is term limited and is running unopposed for the Jackson County Legislature as a Commissioner. Coleman, a Grain Valley businessman, Alderman and school board member brings one of the strongest resumes of public service to his race that we have seen in Jackson County. Coleman’s opponent is Janice Brill of Grain Valley. She is a retired teacher. Coleman is endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life PAC.
District 33 – Harrisonville/Jackson, Cass & Lafayette Counties
Donna Pfautsch, a Republican, is the clear choice over her challenger, Mr. Pat Williams. Pfautsch is seeking her final term in the Missouri House of Representatives, where she has distinguished herself for her strong representation of a diverse number of municipalities and school districts and constituent service, Her district spans from its southern tip in Harrisonville northeasterly through Cass and Jackson County and all the way into Lafayette County. Pfautsch is endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life PAC, while her opponent, Pat William of Pleasant Hill, is endorsed by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL).
District 34 – Lee’s Summit/Greenwood/Eastern Jackson County
Rebecca Roeber is our recommendation in District 34 over her Democrat challenger, James Ripley, a retired school teacher and former Missouri Highway Patrol Trooper. Roeber, a retired career public school teacher, is seeking her third term in the Missouri House of Representatives. She is endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life PAC, while her opponent, James Ripley, is endorsed by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL).
District 35 – Lee’s Summit/Kansas City/Raytown
Unlike other seats, we cannot, in good conscience, endorse any candidate in this open seat race to replace Representative Gary Cross, who is term limited. The Republican nominee for this open seat, Tom Lovell, is the former Administrator for the Lee’s Summit Department of Parks and Recreation where he served for nearly 40 years.
Lovell is rated “NR” by the Missouri Right to Life PAC, meaning “No Response to Survey,” the candidate survey MRL uses for new candidates without a legislative voting record. MRL endorsed Lovell’s opponent in the August primary, Sean Smith, who Lovell defeated by a very narrow margin. Lovell is the only Republican candidate in our reporting that has not earned the endorsement of the Missouri Right to Life PAC.
Keri Ingle, a hospital social worker at the University of Kansas Hospital, is the Democratic nominee for the open seat in the 35th District. We cannot recommend a vote for her either because she has accepted the endorsement of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL).
At a candidate forum in July sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Ingle affirmed her support for a woman’s right to choose, but also voice support for alternatives to abortion. Lovell told voters at that forum that when alternatives to abortion are not available, “there may be options and they have to be left on the table,” a clear reference to abortion.
Ingle has raised more than $100,000 for this race, far outpacing her rival, Lovell. Political observers at Missouri’s most prolific political reporting media group, The Missouri Times, have called this District the most likely to flip from Republican to Democrat.
If Lovell is elected to hold the seat for Republicans, we hope that he will come to fully embrace a pro-life position and earn the endorsement of the Missouri Right to Life PAC in 2020 if he seeks re-election. President Trump, who once described himself as pro-choice, has since fully embraced a pro-life position as President. Lovell should also have this ‘come to Jesus” moment for the life issue.
District 37 – Grandview/South Kansas City/Lee’s Summit
John Boyd, Jr. is our choice for District 37 against six-year incumbent, Democrat Joe Runions. Boyd is an Air Force Veteran and is endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life PAC and Runions is endorsed by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL).
District 53 – Odessa/Lafayette, Jackson & Johnson Counties
Glenn Kolkmeyer is our pick for District 53 over his challenger, Connie Simmons, who is a retiring school counselor. Kolkmeyer is endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life PAC, while Simmons is endorsed by the National Abortion Right Action League (NARAL). Kolkmeyer has served as a member of the leadership team in the Missouri House or Representatives as Chairman of the House Republican Caucus. He is a family business owner and lives in rural Odessa.
District 55 – Cass County/Harrisonville/Raymore
Mike Haffner of Pleasant Hill, who is endorsed by the Missouri Right to Life PAC, is our choice for this open seat. He is unopposed on November 6th and benefited from the endorsement of District 55 State Representative Rick Brattin, who is term limited and is running for Cass County Auditor.
See all candidates endorsed by Missouri Right to Life PAC here:
http://www.missourilifepac.org/2018/2018_mrlpac_ratings-endorsements_general.pdf
–Metro Voice Editorial Board