Parson overcomes Galloway challenge, Amendment 3 approved

While the presidential election results have not yet concluded, Missouri's precincts are accounted for, according to the unofficial election results posted by state Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office.

Among the top issues, Gov. Mike Parson won his bid, and Amendment 3 narrowly passed during yesterday's general election.

Executive branch
With nearly 57% approval from more than 3 million votes counted for the gubernatorial race, Parson officially got the nod from residents to serve as governor.

Parson had not been elected to the position before. Rather, he took over in 2018 after the resignation of former Gov. Eric Greitens, who stepped down during investigations of a sex scandal and misused donor funds.

His challenger, Democrat Nicole Galloway, earned 40.6% of the vote, according to the secretary of state election results.

In Greene County, Parson took nearly 60% of the vote, according to the unofficial results from the county clerk’s office.

Galloway, the state's auditor, challenged Parson, in part, on his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying she would require masks statewide and implement other safety measures if elected governor.

Parson has continued to stand firm on his policy toward masking, embracing personal responsibility over a mandate. In a recent Springfield Business Journal article, he cited the Show Me Strong Recovery Plan's track record.

“We took the fatality rate from almost 8% down to 1.4%; makes a real difference in people’s lives,” he said. “We went from testing 2,000 a week in this state to 125,000.”

Other Missouri executive-level decisions made at the polls yesterday were the appointments of:
• incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, who earned 58.5% of the vote to defeat Democratic challenger Alissia Canady;
• incumbent Republican Secretary of State Ashcroft, who received 60.6% of the vote over challenger Yinka Faleti, a Democrat;
• incumbent Republican Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, who scored roughly 59% of the total vote count over Democratic challenger Vicki Lorenz Englund; and
• incumbent Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who with 59.5% of the vote beat Democrat Rich Finneran.

Redistricting Missouri
Amendment 3, a controversial redistricting measure, garnered 51% approval to pass in the general election.

The amendment gives redistricting responsibility to a bipartisan commission, renames them, and increases membership to 20 by adding four commissioners appointed by the governor from nominations by both Democrats and Republicans, according to past reporting.

At stake is Missouri’s 197 legislative districts, with representation by 34 senators and 163 members of the House of Representatives.

Proponents and opponents of Amendment 3 have said the new law and the one it's replacing unfairly provide unfair advantages in certain districts.

Greene County voters opposed Amendment 3 at the ballot, with roughly 51% voting against, according to the county clerk’s office.

Greene governance
Besides two Democratic candidates, Republicans swept the Greene County ballot yesterday, according to the unofficial results from the county clerk's office.

Incumbent Democratic state Rep. Crystal Quade got the nod, with 59%, over Republican challenger Sarah Semple. And while Democrat Betsy Fogle won the race for District 135 over Republican Steve Helms, a recount is expected given the election came down to less than three dozen votes. Fogle won 48.1% of the vote, with Helms coming in at 47.9%, according to the county clerk.

The Greene County election results include the state representative races below:
• Republican Bishop Davidson winning District 130, with 76.8% of the vote, over Democrat Dave Gragg;
• Republican Bill Owen taking District 131, with 65.8%, over Republican Allison Schoolcraft;
• Curtis Trent, a Republican with 65.1%, defeating Cindy Slimp, a Democrat, in District 133;
• Republican Alex Riley, with nearly 56%, defeating Democratic Derrick Nowlin for District 134;
• Republican Craig Fishel winning District 136, with 58.8%, over Democrat Jeff Munzinger; and
• Republican John Black winning District 137, with 76.9%, over Democrat Raymond Lampert.

Among the election results, Greene County Commission candidates John Rusty MacLachlan and John Russell defeated Democrats Wes Zongker and Sara Lampe for districts 1 and 2, respectively. MacLachlan won 67.4% of the vote, with Russell picking up 55.5%.

Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott won his uncontested race, and U.S. Rep. Billy Long, a Republican representing District 7, defeated Democratic challenger Teresa Montseny. In Greene County, Long earned nearly 58% of the vote, according to the county clerk.