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Democrats nominate Trish Gunby for vacant HD 99 seat

Democrats have selected their party nominee for the vacant House seat representing part of St. Louis County. On Nov. 5, Trish Gunby will go up against a to-be-determined Republican in the race for HD 99.

Gov. Mike Parson called the special election for the district following the resignation of Jean Evans. Evans is now the executive director of the Missouri Republican Party. The Republican Party has until May 13, 2019, to select its nominee for the seat.

In the 2018 general election, the district elected Evans, a Republican, to the House while simultaneously voting to side with Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, for U.S. Senate.

“House District 99 is a suburban St. Louis County district that is trending the wrong way for the Missouri GOP,” Missouri Democratic Party Executive Director Lauren Gepford said in a release. “Trish Gunby’s energetic campaign offers voters a sensible, balanced approach to governing. Trish is not a politician, but is an engaged citizen deeply concerned about what she sees coming out of Jefferson City. We will relentlessly contrast her approach with the out-of-touch political agenda the Republican nominee will support.”

“Time and time again, our state legislature has failed to represent constituents’ voting interests,” Gunby said in a press release. “I can no longer sit two hours away from Jefferson City, while representation for my district, and districts statewide, gets trampled on.”

Gunby’s professional background is in project management and marketing, according to her campaign website. She worked at Citicorp Mortgage and Purina before staying home to raise her children — of which she has two.

She served as Social Justice Coordinator at Manchester United Methodist Church, where she worked on elevating the congregation’s awareness of issues related to gun violence, hunger, and poverty, LGBTQ rights, mental health, and racial justice.