Candidates gear up for general election

Heather Mosley | SBJ

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2022 Election Coverage

Voters on Nov. 8 will weigh in on several candidate elections, including a high-profile U.S. Senate race.

Springfield Business Journal gathered candidates listed on the upcoming ballot for Greene County to provide a quick look at the upcoming general election.

Washington, D.C., positions
Hopefuls for the U.S. Senate seat long held by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, have gathered in force since the politician’s spring 2021 announcement that he would not seek reelection.

The field has been narrowed to four for the Nov. 8 ballot from more than 30 candidates in the primaries.

Republican Eric Schmitt, currently Missouri’s attorney general, is facing off against St. Louis beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine, who is running as a Democrat. Also on the ballot are personal trainer Jonathan Dine, a Libertarian candidate, and Constitution Party candidate Paul Venable, a retired information technology consultant.

Blunt first was elected to the Senate seat in 2010. He’s won 14 general election victories in his political career, including seven to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Also up for grabs on the ballot is the District 7 U.S. representative seat.

Republican Eric Burlison, currently a state senator representing Christian County and part of Greene County, is seeking the seat held by U.S. Rep. Billy Long, who lost to Schmitt in the primaries for Blunt’s seat.

Burlison is facing off against Democrat Kristen Radaker-Sheafer, owner of Frosted Cakerie in Joplin, and Libertarian Kevin Craig, who runs The Vine & Fig Tree nonprofit website.

Missouri state seats
On the Greene County ballot, two state Senate seats and eight House of Representatives spots will be decided Nov. 8.

Rep. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, is running uncontested for the District 20 Senate seat being vacated by Burlison.

In District 30, incumbent Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, is contested by Democrat Raymond Lampert, an attorney with Lampert Law Office LLC.

The Missouri state house seats on the November ballot are:
• District 130: incumbent Republican Bishop Davidson, uncontested;
• District 131: incumbent Republican Bill Owen, uncontested;
• District 132: incumbent Democrat Crystal Quade and Republican Stephanos Freeman.
• District 133: Republican Melanie Stinnett and Democrat Amy Blansit;
• District 134: incumbent Republican Alex Riley and Democrat Samantha Deaton;
• District 135: incumbent Democrat Betsy Fogle and Republican AJ Exner;
• District 136: incumbent Republican Craig Fishel and Democrat Stephanie Hein; and
• District 137: Republican Darin Chappell, uncontested.

Additionally, Scott Fitzpatrick, a Republican who is currently state treasurer, is seeking the state auditor role against competitors Alan Green, a Democrat, and John A. Hartwig Jr., a Libertarian.

County jobs and judgeship retentions
Republicans are running uncontested for most of the Greene County jobs on the November ballot.

Bob Dixon is seeking reelection as presiding commissioner, and others on the ballot are Bryan Feemster for Circuit Court clerk, Allen Icet for collector of revenue, Cindy Stein for county auditor, Shane Schoeller for county clerk and Dan Patterson for prosecuting attorney.

For the recorder of deeds office, one Republican, Cheryl Dawson-Spaulding, who is the incumbent, and one Democrat, Melissa Miller, will go head-to-head.

Of the uncontested county candidates, Feemster alone is not the incumbent; he seeks to replace Circuit Court Clerk Tom Barr, who unsuccessfully ran for the District 137 state House seat in the primaries.

Also in Greene County, voters will be asked whether they want to retain Missouri Supreme Court Judges Zel Fischer and Robin Ransom.

Judges Don Burrell and Jack Goodman of the Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District additionally are up for retainment, as are associate circuit Judges Margaret Palmietto, Mark Powell and T. Todd Myers.