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Lafayette County Republicans reflect on grassroots

By Kay Hoflander

Lafayette County Republican Central Committee Chair

MRP State Committee Member serving on Rules Sub-Committee, Executive Committee

Kinder, Brunner and Hanaway all have a following in my part of the state, and all three have effective and respected campaigns here. We have never seen the fourth Governor candidate Greitens in our area. There are several in my county that are supporting Hanaway because they have followed her work for the conservative cause for a long time, but Kinder has fans also and Brunner has attracted the attention of some of our newer volunteers. I’m excited to see how it shakes out. Our party is fortunate to have three really good candidates for governor.

Mike Parson has traveled a lot in our area and is strong with the agriculture community. He seems the favorite for Lt. Governor among the farming community and ag business folks. However, Bev Randles is well-known and loved in this county as she has visited it many times for several years and attended Republican events here faithfully. This one could be a toss-up here.

Likewise, Will Kraus has been at a lot of events around the state, working his campaign extremely hard and has developed a good following here as well. Will has a great life story and many successes in the legislature. Jay Ashcroft’s father, John Ashcroft, has done powerful and memorable things for this state, as we all know, and now people are beginning to get to know Jay and learn about his vision for the office of Secretary of State. Both Jay and Will have attended our county Republican events on numerous occasions. 

Kurt Schaefer is a dynamic speaker on the grassroots circuit and a strong favorite in the attorney general race in our county and surrounding area. Hawley makes a compelling pitch on the issues that he has dealt with in the past, but many fear he is just not ready for the job. 

Of course, Eric Schmitt is a favorite here as well and someone we will be seeing a lot of over the next few years. He gets around the state and has quite a following amongst young conservatives. His work in the Missouri Senate is well known here and appreciated. And, of course, he is a lot of fun.