The process to elect a new senator for Missouri’s 28th District will begin in the new year, but it’s still unknown when exactly that process will begin.
The 28th senatorial district seat will become vacant Jan. 9 once current Sen. Mike Parson, R-Bolivar, is sworn in as Missouri’s new lieutenant governor. It is up to Gov.-elect Eric Greitens to decide when to call for an election, a decision he will most likely make soon after his own inauguration Jan. 9.
Pettis County Clerk Nick La Strada said last week he has been in contact with Greitens’ office and with Secretary of State-elect Jay Ashcroft regarding the election, but a decision has not yet been made. La Strada said it is up to Greitens’ discretion on when to host the election, either a special election — most likely in February — or wait to include the seat on the April 4 municipal election ballot.
La Strada noted that having back-to-back elections can be tough on county clerks, and that waiting until April would save the state money since an election is already being hosted.
Once Greitens decides on an election date, the Democratic and Republican Central Committees will convene to elect their respective candidates for the ballot by simple majority. Since there is no primary election, the committees will whittle down the candidate list to one per party. Then it’s up to the public to decide.
La Strada noted that the process for filling a senate vacancy is different than a representative. A special election must be called for a senate seat, but for a representative seat the central committees would each recommend a candidate to the governor, who then chooses between the two and makes an appointment.
Candidate “filing” in this case is much different than usual — candidates contact their party’s committee chairperson to indicate their interest, then begin campaigning.
Carla Young, Pettis County Republican Chairwoman, and Chairwoman for the 4th Congressional District and 52nd Legislative District, said several Republicans have expressed interest in running for the seat, and so far state Rep. Sandy Crawford, R-Buffalo, and Sam Alexander have officially entered the race. She said a third will most likely announce candidacy soon.
“I think what the committee looks for is someone that’s representing us right at the very beginning, up on what’s going on in Jefferson City,” Young said by phone Thursday. “They will be going in April, and April and May are the busiest months (of the legislative session). I believe the committee is looking for someone that’s knowledgeable, ready to take over the position on day one — I know that’s what I’m looking for since they get thrown into the mix immediately.”
Mike Franklin, local Democratic Committee chairman and Pettis County Democrat Central Committee chairperson, said some Democrats expressed interest in running during the most recent 4th congressional district meeting.
“Our goal is to get Democrats to run, good candidates, and hopefully they’ll win,” Franklin said by phone Thursday. “… We did have some losses, at local and national both in the general election, but we’ll just move forward and hopefully we’ll do that in the right way, by having some candidates to run on the April ticket.”
The 28th District includes eight counties: Benton, Cedar, Dallas, Hickory, Laclede, Pettis, Polk and St. Clair. Parson is from Polk County and Young said the southern portion of the district has held the seat for some time.
“(Pettis County is) the largest county in the senatorial district, and it has been well-represented by people in the southern part,” Young said. “We’re hoping someone up here will step up that might have a chance, and this is only for the two-year remainder on Parson’s term, then they would have to rerun.”
Young noted that the two-year stint as senator would not affect the person’s term limits — they would still be able to serve as senator for two full terms, if they chose to do so and were re-elected.
For the first portion of the election process, candidates will be appealing to the 36 members of their respective committee. However, since it’s such a short time frame, Young said she has been encouraging the candidates she’s talked with to start campaigning now with both committee members and the public.
“Anyone interested needs to be working,” Young advised. “Sam has been up here and I took him to the (Pettis County) courthouse to introduce him, Sandy has been up here and spoke at Pachyderm. The first goal is to get the committee vote, but my best advice has been to also be in these communities, because if you win you’ll have a short amount of time before the election, maybe only eight or nine weeks.”
Potential candidates interested in running or seeking more information can contact Young at 660-826-0860 or Franklin at 660-281-1037.
