Missouri Press Association
Serving Missouri Newspapers Since 1867
The following is an update from Clarkston Nelson, LLC concerning the Tuesday, Aug. 4, primary election. Use the information within to develop local coverage of issues important to your readers.
Tuesday was primary election day in Missouri, and here are the results (final but unofficial).
There were four constitutional amendments on the ballot.
The two amendments receiving the most publicity, Amendments 4 and 5, both failed on Tuesday.
Amendment 5 (Income Tax/Sales Tax} which would have eliminated the state income tax and allowed the General Assembly to increase the state sales tax rate and broaden the sales tax base on various goods and services, was defeated, 17% yes, 83% no.
Amendment 4 (Constitutional IP elections), which would have required future initiative petitions to amend the constitution to be approved by a majority of voters in each of the state’s eight congressional districts, was defeated, 20% yes, 80% no.
Amendments 1 and 2 were not as controversial.
Amendment 1 (State Soil and Water Tax Extension) was approved by voters, 82% yes, 18% no, continuing for another 10 years Missouri’s one-tenth of one percent sales/use tax for soil and water conservation and support of the state parks and historic sites.
Amendment 2 (Charter County Assessors) was approved, 77% yes, 23% no, requiring all charter counties, including Jackson County, to elect county assessors.
Of Missouri’s eight Congressional district races, three of the seats had competitive primaries.
District 1 in St. Louis had a highly competitive Democratic primary between former Congresswoman Cori Bush and current Congressman Wesley Bell. In District 1, Congressman Bell won by a margin of 59% to 37% and will have no issues with the general election opponent as this is a high performing Democratic district.
District 5, which covers Kansas City and Central Missouri, boundaries that were substantially modified during the 2026 legislative special session, is currently held by Congressman Emanual Cleaver. In the past this district was a safe Democrat seat. Under the new boundaries, this seat will likely flip to Republican. The Republican primary has been very competitive, and a significant amount of money has been spent between two main challengers, Rick Brattin and Taylor Burks. Brattin is currently a State Senator and ran for Congress a few years ago against Mark Alford in Missouri’s 4th District. Taylor Burks is a former Boone County Clerk appointed by former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens. Brattin won by a margin of 45% to 26% for Burks and will now face Congressman Cleaver in the November General Election.
District 6 in Northern Missouri has seen a very competitive and aggressive campaign between Kansas City Councilman Nathan Willett and talk radio host Chris Stigall. This Congressional seat has been held since 2001 by Congressman Sam Graves (R-Tarkio), who this year announced his retirement from Congress. Stigall won by a margin of 44% to Willett’s 34%. Stigall will easily secure the seat in November as this district is a very strong performing area for Republicans.
Incumbent State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick (R) won the primary election over Gerald Wistrand, Jr., 86% to 14%. He will face Quentin Wilson (D) in the November general election and is heavily favored to retain his seat. Wilson defeated Gregory Upchurch in the primary, 68% to 32%.
District 4 – Gina Mitten (D) defeated Steve Butz, 68% to 32%.
District 6 – Jake Vogel (R) defeated Rudy Veit, 27% to 25%, with Ike Skelton receiving 22%.
District 8 – Current Speaker of the House Jon Patterson (R) defeated Dan Stacy, 62% to 38%.
District 10 – Mike Deering (R) defeated Tricia Byrnes, 56% to 44%.
District 14 – Raychel Proudie (D) defeated John Bowman, 39% to 31%, with Shante Duncan receiving 16% and Joseph Palm, 14%.
District 16 – Bill Hardwick (R) defeated Hannah Kelly, 43% to 31%.
District 18 – Greg Sharpe (R) defeated Dustin Blue, 47% to 30%. Ed Lewis received 23%.
District 20 – Lori Rook (R) defeated incumbent Sen. Curtis Trent, 53% to 47%.
District 28 – Sam Alexander (R) defeated Brad Pollitt, 53% to 29%. Chuck Lentz received 18%.
District 32 – Incumbent Sen. Jill Carter (R) defeated Ellen Nichols, 70% to 30%.
District 34 – Mike Jones (R) defeated Sean Pouche, 62% to 28%. Ryan Gerster received 10%.
District 28 – Incumbent Rep. Donna Barnes (D) defeated former Rep. Mike Sager, 92% to 8%.
District 56 – Steve Baker (R) defeated incumbent Rep. Michael Davis, 56% to 44%.
District 61 – Incumbent Rep. Bruce Sassman (R) defeated John Grady, 62% to 38%.
District 66 – Incumbent Rep. Marlene Terry (D) defeated Theresa Hester, 59% to 41%.
District 68 – Incumbent Rep. Kem Smith (D) defeated Janay Mosley, 54% to 46%.
District 74 – Incumbent Rep. Marla Smith (D) defeated Maria Miller, 71% to 29%.
District 75 – Incumbent Rep. Chanel Mosley (D) defeated Chris Brown, 54% to 46%.
District 83 – Incumbent Rep. Ray Reed (D) defeated David Dimmitt, 55% to 45%.
District 85 – Incumbent Rep. Yolanda Henderson (D) defeated Marie Fortson, 62% to 38%.
District 97 – David Robertson (R) defeated incumbent Rep. David Casteel, 56% to 44%.
District 106 – Incumbent Rep. Travis Wilson (R) defeated former Rep. Chris Sander, 69% to 31%.
District 108 – Incumbent Rep. Mike Costlow (R) defeated Max Calfo, 62% to 38%.
District 138 – Incumbent Rep. Burt Whaley (R) defeated Tom Franiak, 77% to 23%.
District 139 – Incumbent Rep. Bob Titus (R) defeated Sandy Karnes, 54% to 46%.
District 140 – Incumbent Rep. Jamie Gragg (R) defeated Angela Romine, 63% to 37%.
District 144 – Former Rep. Chris Dinkins (R) defeated incumbent Rep. Tony Harbison, 56% to 44%.
District 145 – Incumbent Rep. Bryant Wolfin (R) defeated Scott Sattler, 64% to 36%.
District 152 – Former Rep. Jeff Shawan (R) defeated Ken Davis, 60% to 40%.
District 154 – Incumbent Lisa Durnell (R) defeated Travis Smith, 58% to 42%.
St. Charles County Executive primary, Republicans Jason Law, Bill Eigel, and incumbent Steve Ehlmann all spent considerable money on their primary campaigns for this hotly contested seat. Ehlmann won by a margin of 48% over Eigel, 32%, and Law, 19%. Ehlmann will easily coast through the November General Election in this extremely Republican county.
St. Louis County Executive primary, Democrats Brian Williams, Jake Zimmerman, Angela Mosley were the candidates. Zimmerman won with 46% over Williams, 34%, and Mosley, 20%. Zimmerman will face Dennis Hancock (R) and J.D. McFarland (Green Party) in the November general election. Zimmerman will easily secure a win in the November General Election in the securely Democratic county election.
Franklin County Executive primary, Republicans Shawn Noel, Ed Hillhouse, and Dave Shatz faced off in a three-way primary. Currently, former State Senator Dave Schatz holds the position as he was appointed to fill the remainder of term for former Executive Tim Brinker by former Governor Mike Parson (R). Hillhouse was formerly the Presiding Commissioner and served two terms prior to not seeking re-election. Schatz won by a margin of 39% over Noel with 32% and Hillhouse with 29%. Schatz will win the November General Election in the heavily Republican county.
After the August primary election, the General Assembly will return to Jefferson City on Wednesday, September 16th, for Veto Session. Because Governor Mike Kehoe (R) did not veto any legislation unrelated to appropriations, the session is expected to be short and largely ceremonial.
Voters will have a full ballot of officials, constitutional amendments, and local government issues to elect and decide on November 3rd, general election day in Missouri and the USA.
Currently, there are three more state constitutional amendments scheduled to be on the ballot on November 3rd.
Amendment 3 would repeal the 2024 voter-approved amendment providing reproductive healthcare rights, including abortion through fetal viability. It would allow abortions for rape and incest (under 12 weeks’ gestation), emergencies, and fetal anomalies. It would allow legislation regulating abortion, ensure parental consent for minors’ abortions, and prohibit gender transition procedures for minors.
Amendment 7 would amend the constitution to establish a permanent public endowment fund to support state government instead of taxing Missouri residents, prohibit the General Assembly from appropriating or diverting the fund, and eliminate state-imposed taxes once the fund generates sufficient revenue to replace them.
Amendment 8 would amend the constitution to support law enforcement by preserving the right of citizens to elect a county sheriff, prohibiting the removal of a county sheriff except by a write of quo warranto, and recognizing the office of sheriff as part of the administration of justice.
Congressional Redistricting Map: An effort to place the General Assembly’s recent congressional redistricting to a ballot referendum of the people awaits formal qualification but was dismissed by Missouri’s Secretary of State Denny Hoskins (R) on Tuesday during a news conference. Court rulings have allowed the 2025 Missouri First Map to be used in the 2026 primaries. More court rulings are possible, and if the referendum is certified for the November ballot and disapproved by the voters, Missouri’s congressional boundaries would revert to its 2024 map. However, such a reversion to the old map would only apply in the 2028 election and would not impact the current general election.
