Candidate Coverage: Missouri voters weigh in on key positions

Missourians let their voices be heard yesterday on a variety of local, state and federal candidate seats.

Federal positions
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, won over St. Louis beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine, a Democrat, for the state's open U.S. Senate seat.

Schmitt received 55.4% of the vote to Valentine's 42.1%, according to the Missouri secretary of state's unofficial results as of this morning.

Schmitt is slated to succeed Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, who announced last year he would not seek reelection.

Republican Eric Burlison, currently a state senator representing Christian County and part of Greene County, was selected over Democrat Kristen Radaker-Sheafer for U.S. Rep. Billy Long's District 7 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Long lost to Schmitt in the primary for Blunt’s seat.

Burlison gathered 70.9% of the vote to secure the win.

Missouri state wins
Scott Fitzpatrick, a Republican who is currently state treasurer, got the nod in the state auditor race.

Fitzpatrick won with 59.4% of the vote over Democrat Alan Green, at 37.6%.

In the Senate, Rep. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, ran uncontested for the District 20 Senate seat being vacated by Burlison. In District 30, incumbent Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, retained his seat against Democrat Raymond Lampert, an attorney with Lampert Law Office LLC.

On the Greene County ballot, the following Missouri state house seats were decided:
• District 130: Incumbent Republican Bishop Davidson, uncontested;
• District 131: Incumbent Republican Bill Owen, uncontested;
• District 132: Incumbent Democrat Crystal Quade defeated Republican Stephanos Freeman;
• District 133: Republican Melanie Stinnett won over Democrat Amy Blansit;
• District 134: Incumbent Republican Alex Riley retained his seat in a challenge by Democrat Samantha Deaton;
• District 135: Incumbent Democrat Betsy Fogle held out against Republican challenger AJ Exner;
• District 136: Democrat Stephanie Hein narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Craig Fishel; and
• District 137: Republican Darin Chappell, uncontested.

County roles and judgeships
Republicans ran uncontested for most of the Greene County jobs on the ballot.

Bob Dixon maintained his role as presiding commissioner, as did Allen Icet for collector of revenue, Cindy Stein for county auditor, Shane Schoeller for county clerk and Dan Patterson for prosecuting attorney. Bryan Feemster ran uncontested for the Circuit Court clerk role, according to past reporting.

For the recorder of deeds office, incumbent Republican Cheryl Dawson-Spaulding won against Democratic challenger Melissa Miller, according to the Greene County clerk's unofficial election results.

Judgeship retentions also were on the ballot.

Missouri Supreme Court Judges Zel Fischer and Robin Ransom were retained, as were Judges Don Burrell and Jack Goodman of the Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District and associate circuit Judges Margaret Palmietto, Mark Powell and T. Todd Myers.