Press "Enter" to skip to content

Mark Milton announces candidacy for House District 90

GLENDALE, Mo. – First-term state Rep. Deb Lavender, D-Kirkwood, will have a Republican challenger in the always competitive District 90.

Mark Milton, a Republican lawyer from Glendale and political newcomer, formally announced his candidacy for the House seat Monday morning. Milton, who currently works as an attorney for Husch Blackwell LLP in St. Louis, worked as a trial attorney for the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. and he says he’s ready to turn his experience into service.

“It seemed clear that I had a lot of support from people to run,” Milton said. “Hopefully I can win the race and bring some good things to the District.”

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, is one of the people throwing his support behind Milton.

“Mark is exactly the type of person we need in the Missouri legislature – young, energetic, and smart. Mark’s enthusiasm for and dedication to public service will benefit all Missourians,” Schmitt said in a statement. “With his white collar law enforcement background, Mark has the experience and proven leadership skills we need in Jefferson City to eliminate government fraud, waste and abuse.”

Milton grew up in Belleville, Illinois, a community just across the Mississippi River, however, he had connections to the St. Louis area as a youngster. His mother grew up in Crestwood and he often visited his grandparents who later moved to Sunset Hills.

Mark Milton

After graduating from the University of Illinois, Milton attended the Saint Louis University School of Law. In his third year, he received the opportunity to work for the Department of Justice in Washington D.C., via the Attorney General’s Honors Program. While there, he litigated tax cases in federal courts across the country.

After receiving the DOJ’s Outstanding Trial Attorney Award in 2013, he and his wife Annemarie, who grew up in West County, decided to move back to St. Louis.

“It’s always been an area that we’ve loved, and when we knew we were moving back to the St. Louis area, that’s where we knew we wanted to settle,” Milton said.

During a discussion with former state Rep. Rick Stream, Stream suggested that Milton himself run for office since he knew of no other Republicans that were vying for Lavender’s seat. Milton says the idea sparked the thought process, he saw he had the support, and just a few months after sitting down with Stream, he’s running for office.

“I think we can do better,” Milton said. “I think this district has a lot of potential. We don’t have leadership that to me represents our best interests. I like to think I’m fairly accomplished despite my young age, and we need someone who can promote this district as a place to live and raise a family.”

To do that, Milton says he will do his best to reach out to both sides, which could definitely be politically beneficial for the fiscally conservative upstart. In 2014, District 90 was decided by less than 500 votes.

“While I’m running as a Republican, I plan on reaching out to both sides,” Milton says. “In an era of polarizing politics, I think I can get votes from Republicans, Democrats and Independents”

Milton touts that he wants to reduce excessive regulations on families and small businesses and that the police should have the support of their communities, but he also considers himself a big proponent of public schools. Milton attended public schools until his entry into law school, and his sister works as a middle school teacher in Belleville (his mother is a retired public high school teacher).

Milton believes that regardless of one’s stance on school choice, having good schools is essential.

“We have to maintain a strong public school system,” Milton said. “We have to create an system where all children have an opportunity to learn.”