Tuesday is primary election day in Missouri. For Ozark County, a number of local races will be decided Tuesday with no opponents to challenge them in the November General Election.
Voters will decide on a new sheriff for Ozark County following the upcoming retirement of Darrin Reed. Curtis Dobbs and Cass Martin will square off for the Republican nomination, and the winner will not face an opponent in November.
The current Ozark County assessor will have two opponents on Tuesday in the Republican primary. Incumbent Jama M. Berry will be challenged by Jennifer Cole and Karen Cunningham. The victor will win the seat with no opponent for the general election.
The winner of the Republican primary for the county’s east district associate commissioner will also win the seat by default. Incumbent Gary Lee Collins will go up against challenger Jay Smith.
The west district will have a new associate commissioner, since Greg Donley did not file for reelection. Current Ozark County Coroner Shane D. Ledbetter, Layne Nance and Robert Merriman will seek the Republican nomination and not face an opponent in November.
Gene Britt will be the new Ozark County coroner. Britt is running for Ledbetter’s seat unopposed in the Republican primary and general election.
Three other Republican incumbents will not face opposition for their current seats. Christy Thompson will remain as treasurer, Matt Wade will continue as surveyor, and Melinda Abraham stays on as public administrator.
Local voters will decide the Republican nominee in the race for the District 33 state senator. State Representative Karla Eslinger will face Robert Ross and Van Kelly, and the winner will go up against Democrat Tammy Harty in November. Senator Mike Cunningham cannot run for the position due to term limits.
Eslinger’s current position for District 155 state representative is being sought by three candidates. Joe Combs and Travis Smith will run in the Republican primary, and Democrat Mike Lind will face the winner in the general election.
Ozark County voters will also decide party nominees in statewide races. Incumbent Gov. Mike Parson will face Raleigh Ritter, James W. “Jim” Neely and Saundra McDowell in the Republican primary. The Democratic race includes State Auditor Nicole Galloway, Jimmie Matthews, Antoin Johnson, Eric Morrison and Robin John Daniel Van Quaethem. The winners will move on to the general election to face Libertarian Rik Combs and Green Party candidate Jerome Howard Bauer.
In the race for lieutenant governor, incumbent Mike Kehoe will go up against Arnie C. “AC” Dienoff, Aaron T. Wisdom and Mike Carter for the Republican nomination. Gregory A. Upchurch and Alissia Canaday are the Democratic candidates. Tuesday’s winners will face Libertarian Bill Slantz and Green Party candidate Kelley Dragoo in November.
The Democratic Party also has two candidates running for attorney general. Rich Finneran and Elad Gross will square off on Tuesday, and the victor faces incumbent Republican Eric Schmitt and Libertarian Kevin C. Babcock in the general election.
All candidates for secretary of state are running unopposed in the primary. The General Election in November will include incumbent Republican John R. “Jay” Ashcroft, Democrat Yinka Faleti, Libertarian Carl Herman Freese, Green Party candidate Paul Lehmann and Constitution Party candidate Paul Venable.
There are also no primary races for the position of state treasurer. In November, incumbent Republican Scott Fitzpatrick will be challenged by Democrat Vicki Lorenz Englund, Libertarian Nicholas “Nick” Kasoff and Green Party candidate Joseph Civettini.
Missourians will also decide on Amendment 2 for Medicaid expansion. If approved, eligibility for the program expands to adults ages 19 to 64 earning up to 133% of the federal poverty level.
Polls in Missouri will open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
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