JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The next election could potentially bring a new caucus into the Missouri General Assembly.
“It’s a big year for preachers,” Aaron Baker of Axiom Strategies said during an interview on the #MoLeg Podcast. “I think I’ve counted six.”
With the 2018 election soon coming, a number of candidates from a religious background are looking to make a splash.
At least three more preachers are debating whether to make a bid for an elected office, which would mean at least six potential new additions if they all succeed in their campaigns. Among the list are Brad Hudson, Ben Baker, and Doug Richey.
“They’re mostly Southern Baptist or Assemblies of God, mostly based in Southwest Missouri, but we’re going to have a pretty big Preacher caucus coming in next year,” Baker said.
Hudson is seeking the seat in Missouri’s 138th District, where the Republican is the pastor for to the congregation of Blessing Heights Worship Center.
Neosho Mayor Ben Baker announced in July that he would seek to replace the term-limited Rep. Bill Reiboldt. Baker is the Dean of Students and a professor at Ozark Bible Institute and is also a lay minister who attends Bible Holiness Assembly of God.
Doug Richey, the pastor of Pisgah Baptist Church in Excelsior Springs, is also seeking a House seat in District 38.
And as Missouri continues leaning as a red state, the typically more conservative values continue to play well with voters, who showed up strong in the 2016 election to elect a completely red ticket of statewide officeholders.
You can listen to more of the interview in last week’s episode of the #MoLeg Podcast by clicking here.
Benjamin Peters was a reporter for The Missouri Times and Missouri Times Magazine and also produced the #MoLeg Podcast. He joined The Missouri Times in 2016 after working as a sports editor and TV news producer in mid-Missouri. Benjamin is a graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield.
