COLUMBIA, Mo. — Martha Stevens won one of the most lopsided wins in the Aug. 2 primary. With the momentum of that 50-point win over Boone County Public Administrator Cathy Richards in one of the most liberal districts outside of St. Louis and Kansas City, she has every reason to believe she will top her Republican challenger, Don Waterman, to represent the 46th House District in the fall.
However, you wouldn’t know that by the way she has continued campaigning. In reality, not much has changed for Stevens since her big win. She knocks doors (she hit around 10,000 before the primary and that number has only increased), continues to fundraise and attends candidate forums to discuss issues facing mid-Missourians.
“I’m talking to a different universe of voters,” she said in an interview Thursday. “When I’m on the doors I feel like I’m having authentic conversations about things I care about, things not only affecting Columbia, but our state in general, and I think people are pretty receptive to that.”
Those conversations may have a slightly different flavor than they did before the primary since she has started reaching out to more moderate and even conservative voters living in her district. And voters have a clear choice between a liberal and a conservative to represent their district.
Stevens and Waterman contrast with each other on policy by mostly adhering to their respective party platforms. Stevens opposes Right-to-Work, Waterman supports it. Stevens is pro-choice, Waterman is pro-life. Stevens is a health policy wonk that supports Medicaid expansion, and while Waterman supports more funds and community involvement for mental health care, he does not support expansion.
But perhaps the biggest gulf between the two occurs when discussing the Second Amendment. Waterman is a competitive shooter who currently works at a Bass Pro Shop in Columbia, and last week he co-hosted a rally with fellow state representative candidate Cheri Reisch timed in part to celebrate the outcome of the veto override of HB 656.
Conversely, Stevens was at a meeting with members of the Moms Demand Action advocacy group which pushes for gun safety measures and opposed SB 656. From some of her discussions with people in her district, that stance could give her more of a leg up in her district.
“People really view [the override] as an unwise decision,” Stevens said. “The police were against it, and it’s taken away the ability of sheriffs to deny the conceal and carry permits from people with criminal records. Overall it’s a public safety issues, and it seemed like a pretty common sense decision to sustain the veto.”
“I think people are pretty disappointed.”
If voters have no illusions about the two candidates stances on the issues, then Stevens likely emerges victorious. Outgoing Rep. Stephen Webber is popular in the district, and he has endorsed her. Webber won the district by a 30 point margin in 2012, and a 36-point margin in 2010 (he ran unopposed in 2014). Even during the Bush and Blunt years, the seat was represented by a Democrat.
Should she win in November, she knows she will likely have to “play defense,” as many Democrats refer to their work in the superminority. Still, Stevens says she is taking nothing for granted against Waterman.
