Voter turnout is the biggest unknown for the November election. There is only one statewide race, for state auditor, and neither incumbent Republican Scott Fitzpatrick, nor the Democratic nominee, Quentin Wilson, have raised large sums this year.
Missouri Republicans are scrambling to organize late campaigns on ballot measures they spent most of the year trying to block from the Nov. 3 election. The party’s State Committee met Saturday in Columbia and passed resolutions asking for a ‘yes’ vote on Proposition A, a referendum on the 2025 redistricting map, and a ‘no’ vote on Amendment 6, which would restrict the ability of lawmakers to change measures enacted by initiative petition. Party leaders told the committee they would work this week to develop campaigns on both measures.
The committee’s session was livestreamed on social media by Act for Missouri, a conservative group that opposes Amendment 6 and backs a vote in favor of the 2025 map. A new campaign effort on either measure would have to be organized and launched as absentee voters are already casting ballots. The election is five weeks away and no-excuse early voting begins in three weeks.
State Republican Political Director Chandler Haynes speaking the morning after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered that the November elections be held in districts used in the 2022 and 2024 elections, said he would work to generate a campaign. ‘I cannot even get close to expressing how I feel about what the Supreme Court did to this state and its voters last night,’ Haynes said. ‘It’s criminal, literally, and we should do everything in our power to make sure that we claw back the map that this state deserves and that these voters deserve.’
In a social media post after the Supreme Court decision, U.S. Rep. Mark Alford of Raymore, running for re-election in the 4th District, said he disagreed with the decision and would push to get the map approved. ‘I support the Missouri First map because I firmly believe it better reflects the values of Missouri voters,’ Alford said. ‘That’s why I will continue to advocate for the Missouri First map on the ballot this November.’
The Independent left messages with Miles Ross, state GOP executive director, and Jennifer Bukowsky, the committee vice-chair who presided Saturday, but did not receive a reply.
Republican fears The meeting Saturday included a candid discussion from Haynes, and sharp questioning from committee members, on the status of this year’s campaign program. The party’s making its biggest direct effort in the Springfield area and in Jackson County, Haynes said, where state Senate seats are in play and multiple House districts could be won by either party. ‘The Communists are on the march, and so we don’t get off-years, we don’t get breaks, we don’t get to part-time any of this because none of them do,’ Haynes said. The party is also stepping up voter registration efforts, he said. ‘If we’re worried about voter enthusiasm and voter turnout, why not just go make new Republicans and then get them turned out also?’ he said. ‘But we’re definitely not going to neglect the voters we’ve already got registered to vote.’
Voter turnout is the biggest unknown for the November election. There is only one statewide race, for state auditor, and neither incumbent Republican Scott Fitzpatrick, nor the Democratic nominee, Quentin Wilson, have raised large sums this year. The heavy spending will be in ballot measures, where almost $5 million has been spent so far on broadcast ads, tracking by The Independent shows. There has also been $1.8 million spent on broadcast ads in the two most competitive state Senate races. The last time the auditor’s race was the only contest on the ballot, there was no major ballot measure to attract voters and only 1.4 million people went to the polls. That is about the same as the number who in August delivered historic defeats on Republican priority ballot measures on income taxes and li
