Springfield businessman launches state rep campaign

Springfield businessman Jeff Munzinger this week launched his 2016 campaign for the Missouri House of Representatives.

Munzinger, co-owner and president of Munzinger & Co. Inc., a marketing organization for marine and sporting goods manufacturing, plans to run as a Democrat for the District 136 seat representing southeast Springfield. Munzinger held his campaign kickoff event Nov. 11 at Hilton Garden Inn, according to a news release.

In his campaign, Munzinger plans to focus on eliminating what he sees as the shortcomings of current House members.

“They’ve failed to adequately fund our schools. They’re failing to maintain our roads and bridges. They’ve stubbornly refused to bring our own federal tax dollars back home to provide much-needed medical and mental health care for low-income working people,” Munzinger said in the release.

Among his supporters, Munzinger counts Charlie O’Reilly, vice president of the board of directors for O’Reilly Automotive Inc. (Nasdaq: ORLY).

“Jeff knows the struggles that real people face, and he sees that government policies can affect people’s lives for better or worse,” O’Reilly said in the release.

Next November, Munzinger would challenge incumbent Kevin Austin, a partner at law firm Keck & Austin LLC.

The election would be Austin’s first race against a Democrat. He ran unopposed in 2014 to win his re-election bid. He was first elected in 2012, running unopposed in the general election after defeating Ken Boyce in the Republican primary, according to Ballotpedia.org.

In October quarterly reports filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission, Austin posted $16,903 on hand, while Munzinger had $1,125.