Polls have closed in Missouri, where we’ve got four state House special elections on tap. Johnny Longtoso has the goods:
Missouri HD-39: This is an open Republican seat located northeast of Kansas City. It was left vacant by Joe Don McGaugh's appointment to a judgeship. The Democratic nominee is Ethan Perkinson, a police officer, while the Republican nominee is Peggy McGaugh, the Carroll County Clerk and Joe Don's mother. This seat voted for Donald Trump by a 71-24 margin in 2016 and Mitt Romney by a 61-37 margin in 2012.
Missouri HD-97: This is an open Republican seat on the southwestern edge of the St. Louis metropolitan area. It was vacated by John McCaherty, who resigned to focus on running for Jefferson County executive. The Democratic candidate here is Mike Revis, a procurement manager for Anheuser-Busch, and the Republican nominee is David Linton, an attorney. This seat went 61-33 for Trump in 2016 and 55-43 for Romney in 2012.
Missouri HD-129: This is an open Republican seat northeast of Springfield. In another case of special election musical chairs, this seat is open due to Sandy Crawford's election to the state Senate last August. The Democrats have nominated Ronna Ford, a retired teacher, while the Republicans have nominated Jeff Knight, the owner of an auction company. This one went 80-16 for Trump in 2016 and 70-28 for Romney in 2012.
Missouri HD-144: This is an open Republican seat in the southeast of the state. This one was left vacant by Paul Fitzwater's appointment to the state parole board. The Democratic nominee is Jim Scaggs, the presiding commissioner of Iron County, while the Republican nominee is Chris Dinkins, a Republican Party state committeewoman. This seat backed Trump by a 78-19 margin and Romney by a 61-36 margin.
Results are available here. Additional background can be found from the good folks at the Special Election Watch.
Wednesday, Feb 7, 2018 · 4:02:45 AM +00:00
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James Lambert
To recap:
Missouri HD-39: Republican Peggy McGaugh (the mother of the previous incumbent) held this seat by a 64-36 margin compared to Trump’s 71-24 win in 2016.
Missouri HD-97: Democrat Mike Revis flipped this seat, winning by 52-48. Trump won this district by 61-33 in 2016!
Missouri HD-129: Republican Jeff Knight held this seat by a 69-31 spread. That’s still a contraction from Trump’s enormous 80-16 win.
Missouri HD-144: Democrat Jim Scaggs nearly stole this seat, losing by just 53-47. That’s a massive fifty-three point overperformance from 2016, when Trump won this district by 78-19!