Written by: Michael Straw
Edited by: Annie Phan
In the upcoming August 8th special election for the Missouri House of Representatives District 50 seat, Democrat Michela Skelton leads the charge in hopes of ending a Republican stronghold.
Skelton holds a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis and conducted nonpartisan research analysis for the Missouri State Senate. As a candidate, Skelton has received high endorsements across the Democratic party, from State Auditor Nicole Galloway to former SOS Jason Kander.
The seat opened after Republican State Representative Caleb Jones left to join Gov. Eric Greitens’ office as deputy chief of staff. The region is traditionally Republican and District 50 hasn’t had a Democratic candidate run for the seat since it was formerly the 117th district in 2006 and a Democrat hasn’t cracked 40% of the vote since 1996. To date, the GOP holds an 115 to 45 lead in the Missouri State House of Representatives with three vacancies. Skelton faces Republican candidate Sara Walsh, a committeewoman from Boone County.
However, Skelton is poised to deliver an upset on Election Day. Read on to learn more from Ready2Vote’s interview with candidate Skelton.
Ready2Vote: Why are you running?
Michela Skelton: I’m running because I got mad at our state government. I used to work for the Missouri Senate in the nonpartisan research office and I had to watch up close our future getting auctioned off to the highest bidder, a future that rightly belongs to our communities and our children. I have two small kids, age 2 and 4, and it made me worried what kind of life would be left for them and all of the other young people if things kept going the same way and I didn’t stand up and do something.
R2V: What problems do you want to tackle when you get to the state legislature?
MS: I want to ensure that the minimum wage is a living wage and find ways to expand access to healthcare in Missouri. I want to ensure that our state is investing in the education of our children and the much-needed infrastructure in our communities. Finally, I want to ensure that our state is making corporations pay their fair share of the costs of operating in our state and stop giving out special interest tax credits.
Recent financial reports reveal Skelton's sizable lead over Walsh in this special election, a big indicator that there could be an upset brewing.
AMENDED April Quarterly Report - 2017
Ending Money On Hand:
Michela Skelton (D) - $27,935.88
April Quarterly Report - 2017
Ending Money On Hand:
Sara Walsh (R) - $18,661.87
R2V: What do you think has helped you beat out your Republican opponent in fundraising?
MS: People are just really ready for something different and for someone to stand up and acknowledge that our system of government is broken. The national level political environment has also woken up a lot of people to the fact that if they want something different they are going to have to put in some of the work. I’m proud to be a part of the giant group of dedicated volunteers helping me with my campaign.
Skelton’s fundraising numbers and influential endorsements fuel a high-powered campaign. Meanwhile, Walsh has drawn backlash for her lack of communication with potential constituents by “...blocking all new followers to her Twitter account (@saraformissouri). The majority of these new followers were curious to hear why [she] sought to represent them in the State Legislature.”
On June 20th, 2017 the Missouri House passed anti-abortion legislation that “...tighten state abortion regulations, ... and give the state attorney general new authority to prosecute violations of abortion laws.” Bills like these are the reason we need to elect Democrats like Michela Skelton to the State Legislative.
Democrat Michela Skelton has earned Ready2Vote's endorsement and we encourage you to DONATE to her campaign and help clinch a much-needed win for Democrats.
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