Bethany, Mo. — Mazzie Boyd is vying to become one of the youngest politicians in Missouri state history and after August 2nd, that reality is one step closer.
Boyd upset the incumbent in House District 2, Rep. Randy Railsback. The 24-year-old won by a shocking amount, a victory of over 30 points.
Boyd attended college at Missouri Western State University (MWSU), the same college as former Speaker of the House Elijah Haahr. Haahr rose up the ranks of Missouri politics quickly, serving as the youngest Speaker in the country.
Boyd spent time in Washington D.C., working with high-profile Republicans and their teams, including Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, former president Donald Trump as well as famed Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, who has served as Senator for over a decade.
Boyd meets the age requirement to hold office in Missouri by mere months. When she started her campaign she was too young to hold office, just 23. If she wins her election, Boyd would be one of the youngest State Representatives in Missouri history.
To win a primary in such a fashion, at such an early age against an incumbent is not a task many thought Boyd capable of early in the election cycle.
Boyd gave some insight into her win. According to her, one of the biggest factors in her successful primary bid was seeing her potential constituents face to face.
“Interacting with voters face to face had a huge impact. My volunteers and I crisscrossed the district door-knocking. People appreciated the opportunity to ask me about my plans for District 2 from their doorstep.” Boyd said.
She also mentioned how local support was a big help.
“Farmers, small business owners, and local leaders throughout the district gave me their very visible support,” Boyd said. “I’m very grateful to have had the support of the gun shop owners in both Bethany and Trenton as well as the endorsement of former District 2 State Rep. Casey Guernsey, former District 8 State Rep. Jim Neely, and Former Grundy County Clerk Kristi Urich.”
Perhaps one of her biggest advantages was being local. Boyd claims that being from the area had a large impact and helped her in the long run. Railsback was drawn out of his own District 8 in congressional redistricting, forcing him to run as an “incumbent” in District 2.
“The fact that I’ve grown up here in Northwest Missouri and have family who’ve lived here going back several generations was a huge help,” Boyd said. “I’ve witnessed the impact bad policies have had on our communities. It’s personal for me. Which is why I am deeply motivated to fix it.”
In most cases, being young and inexperienced can be detrimental to a campaign. Voters tend to vote for older candidates in general. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the average age for state lawmakers is 56.
Boyd is half that age, but she claims her age helped her, rather than hurt her.
“It helps to be young,” she said. “The majority of people I spoke with wanted a fresh perspective in Jefferson City. They wanted someone with enough vigor and fight in them to restore Missouri to the state they once knew.”
The next step for Boyd is the general election this November where she will face Democrat Lois Pontius.
District 2, which stretches across rural Northwest Missouri, has historically voted red, especially in the past 10 years. Rep. Jay Eggleston, R-Maysville, has served the district for eight years before falling short in a bid for state Senate in August.
When asked about what she has planned next, Boyd said that she was “focused on meeting more of my hopefully future constituents and preparing to best serve them.”
Featured Image Courtesy of Mazzie Boyd/Facebook
Kelton is a 2023 graduate of the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. He is a native of mid-Missouri and likes to write politics at both the state and federal levels. Kelton joined the Missouri Times in April 2022