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Alex Riley looks to replace term-limited Speaker Elijah Haahr

Alex Riley is not letting relocating from one end of Springfield to another — and changing legislative districts in the process — dash his intent to fight for “conservative values and to protect life, defend liberty, and foster prosperity in Missouri.”

While still running for the Missouri House — instead of seeking to represent HD 130, as he originally intended — the Springfield attorney is making a bid for HD 134. The Republican hopeful and his family — wife Ellen, son Mitchell, and their 100-pound Great Pyrenees, Teddy — are moving to “better accommodate work and family obligations.” 

According to the secretary of state’s webpage, candidates for the state House must live in the district of one year before the election, which is set for Nov. 3, 2020.  

“I look forward to running in my home district where I grew up and where my parents and law firm currently reside. I will be a strong, conservative voice for the greater Springfield community and look forward to protecting life, defending liberty, and fostering prosperity in our state while serving in Jefferson City,” Riley said.

The area to which Riley is moving is represented by House Speaker Elijah Haahr. Haahr is serving his fourth and final term as the legislator from HD 134

“Alex is a champion for conservative values. He is pro-life and supports smaller government,” Haahr said in a statement. “I can think of no one better to continue representing the people of this district with a strong, conservative voice, and I am proud to endorse Alex in his election.”  

Springfield-area Reps. Sonya Anderson and Curtis Trent have also endorsed Riley’s bid for the seat.  

A 2016 graduate from Southern Illinois University School of Law, Riley works as an attorney at McAfee & Taft. He graduated from Edison State University at just 19 years old with a degree in political science and worked as a paralegal for several years before attending law school. According to his campaign website, his original career plan involved attending the U.S. Naval Academy — which was derailed due to a cancer diagnoses in his teen years.

I am running for state representative to increase economic opportunity for all, to improve our state’s business climate through legal reform, to advocate for all Missouri citizens (beginning at conception), and to ensure that our liberties such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to bear arms are protected and preserved,” Riley said.

As a lawmaker, some of his main priorities would include improving the overall business climate of the state as a way to recruit and develop more high paying jobs. To that end, Riley said he would advocate for tort reform, regulatory reduction, and low taxes. 

“A couple of the biggest challenges facing the Springfield area are high poverty rates and high crime rates. The two are closely related. To help address both of these problems, we need to increase the number of high paying jobs in our area,” said Riley.