Primary Election Results

BY GUEST AUTHOR, LOBBYIST TRENT WATSON

August 5 Primary Election Results

Missouri’s primary election featured five state constitutional ballot measures. In the legislature, all 163 seats in the House and 17 of 34 seats in the Senate are up for election. Yesterday’s election resulted in few surprises as most incumbents who faced primary challengers were re-nominated.

This year only the one statewide office, Missouri’s Auditor, is up for election. Incumbent Auditor Thomas Schweich (R) had no primary opposition and will easily win re-election in November’s general election since no democrat filed for the office.

One other newsworthy race is the St. Louis County Executive race in which incumbent Charlie Dooley (D) lost to challenger Steve Stenger by a 2-1 margin. Stenger will face Republican Rick Stream in November’s general election.

Congressional Races

Five incumbent members of Congress faced primary challenges in yesterday’s election. All incumbents easily won the nomination to run in November’s general election. They are:

1. Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-3rd) – 79%

2. Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-4th) – 75%

3. Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver (D-5th) – 82%

4. Congressman Sam Graves (R-6th) – 77%

5. Congressman Billy Long (R-7th) – 62%

Ballot Measures

Of the five ballot measures, there were two highly controversial issues voted on yesterday. One guaranteed the right to farm and the other proposed a ten-year ¾ cent sales tax for transportation. Below are the results for all five measures.

Constitutional Amendment 1 (Right to Farm)

Official Ballot Title:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to ensure that the right of Missouri citizens to engage in agricultural production and ranching practices shall not be infringed?

The potential costs or savings to governmental entities are unknown, but likely limited unless the resolution leads to increased litigation costs and/or the loss of federal funding.

3898 of 3898 Precincts ReportedYES498,75150.127%NO496,22349.873%Total Votes:994,974

Constitutional Amendment 5 (Second Amendment – Right to Bear Arms)

Official Ballot Title:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to include a declaration that the right to keep and bear arms is a unalienable right and that the state government is obligated to uphold that right?

State and local governmental entities should have no direct costs or savings from this proposal. However, the proposal’s passage will likely lead to increased litigation and criminal justice related costs. The total potential costs are unknown, but could be significant.

3898 of 3898 Precincts ReportedYES602,07660.970%NO385,42239.030%Total Votes:987,498

Constitutional Amendment 7 (Transportation Sales Tax)

Official Ballot Title:

Should the Missouri Constitution be changed to enact a temporary sales tax of three-quarters of one percent to be used solely to fund state and local highways, roads, bridges and transportation projects for ten years, with priority given to repairing unsafe roads and bridges?

This change is expected to produce $480 million annually to the state’s Transportation Safety and Job Creation Fund and $54 million for local governments.  Increases in the gas tax will be prohibited.  This revenue shall only be used for transportation purposes and cannot be diverted for other uses.

3898 of 3898 Precincts ReportedYES407,53240.815%NO590,96359.185%Total Votes:998,495

Constitutional Amendment 8 (Veterans Lotto Ticket)

Official Ballot Title:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to create a “Veterans Lottery Ticket” and to use the revenue from the sale of these tickets for projects and services related to veterans?

The annual cost or savings to state and local governmental entities is unknown, but likely minimal. If sales of a veterans lottery ticket game decrease existing lottery ticket sales, the profits of which fund education, there could be a small annual shift in funding from education to veterans’ programs.

3898 of 3898 Precincts ReportedYES440,36944.984%NO538,57555.016%Total Votes:978,944

Constitutional Amendment 9 (Right to Privacy)

Official Ballot Title:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended so that the people shall be secure in their electronic communications and data from unreasonable searches and seizures as they are now likewise secure in their persons, homes, papers and effects?

State and local governmental entities expect no significant costs or savings.

3898 of 3898 Precincts ReportedYES728,54974.756%NO246,02025.244%Total Votes:974,569

State Senate Races

Of the 17 State Senate seats up for election, only 7 have a general election opponent. The other 10 races were won in the primary election or were not contested.

One of the most watched Senate races was District 2 (St. Charles County) in which three Republicans squared off to replace Senator Scott Rupp who vacated the office to serve on the Missouri Public Service Commission. Former State Rep. Bob Onder easily won the primary garnering 63% of the vote. He faces no opposition in the general election.

Incumbent Senators Dan Brown (R-Rolla) and Joe Keaveny (D-St. Louis) easily fended off primary challengers and will serve a second four-year term in the Senate.

In Senate District 24, Jay Ashcroft garnered 54% of the vote in a three-way Republican primary. Ashcroft will face Rep. Jill Schupp in the general election.

State House Races

There were very few surprises as all but one incumbent fended off primary challengers. Thirteen incumbents faced primaries in yesterday’s election. Incumbent Bonnaye Mims (D-Kansas City) lost her bid for re-election to India Williams by less than one percent.

The Republicans regained a veto-proof number of seats by capturing two of three special election seats. They now hold 110 seats in the House…one more than the 109 necessary to override gubernatorial vetoes. Governor Jay Nixon vetoed 32 measures (and multiple budget line-items) which will be subject to veto override scrutiny during the September 10 veto session.