Voters in western Missouri’s Jackson County have elected House Majority Leader Mike Cierpiot, R-Lee’s Summit, to the state Senate.
House Majority Leader Mike Cierpiot speaks on the Missouri House floor in June 2017 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at Missouri House Communications)
Cierpiot will be moving across the Rotunda at the Statehouse in Jefferson City, after being elected to the Senate on Tuesday.
He captured 12,851 votes, or about 50 percent. Democrat Hillary Shields received 10,869 votes, or about 43 percent.
The “Kansas City Star” reports Republicans outspent Democrats 15-1 in this campaign.
A third candidate, Jacob Turk, received about seven percent of the vote.
Cierpiot will serve the remainder of former State Sen. Will Kraus’ (R) term, which is about a year.
Governor Eric Greitens appointed Kraus to the State Tax Commission.
We could see a rematch of the Cierpiot-Shields race in November 2018.
Missouri Democratic Party Chair Stephen Webber tweeted Tuesday night that Shields will run again in 2018.
Cierpiot, who also currently chairs the House Ethics Committee, was elected to the Missouri House in 2010. He’s in his fourth term.
Once Cierpiot is sworn-in to the Senate, there will be five House vacancies.
Republicans currently control the House 112-45.