JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A union-backed challenger filed Monday to run against Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial in the 113th District, after he voted in favor of overriding Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto on Right-to-Work last year.
Karen Settlemoir-Berg will run as a Democrat in the Jefferson County district comprised of Arnold and Imperial because she believes Shaul reneged on his promise to support unions in an area with relatively high union membership. Two weeks before veto session last September, Settlemoir-Berg said Shaul met with constituents, including Settlemoir-Berg and other union members, and said he would not vote to override the governor’s veto.
“Representative Shaul flat-out lied to me and other constituents and decided to bend his knee to a special interest group that didn’t elect him,” Settlemoir-Berg said, alleging that he changed his vote after being pressured to do so by the Missouri Grocers Association, where Shaul serves as state director. “He abandoned those people who elected him just to please a special interest group. Rep. Shaul is part of the problem with Jefferson City corruption. I will not bow to any special interest, and I’m excited to represent the people of Jefferson County in the capitol to give them a real voice.”
Settlemoir-Berg has been a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers union since 1985, and has been on staff with the Local 655 for the past five years. She is also a graduate of Sanford Brown Business School.
Shaul having a contender in the race could make it more interesting. While he won handily in 2014 with nearly 57 percent of the vote, the representative who held the seat before him was Democrat Jeff Roorda.
