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Wallingford Will Not Seek Congressional Seat

Jefferson City, MO — State Senator Wayne Wallingford announced today on his Facebook page that he would not be seeking the congressional nomination for Wallingfordthe 8th district seat vacated by Jo Ann Emerson.

His statement can be found below:

“After careful thought and deliberation, I have chosen not to seek the nomination to be the next Congressman for the Eighth District. Right now, I feel that my most important duty is to continue to serve our region in the State Senate. I am truly honored to have been elected to serve in this capacity, and during my service in the Senate I hope to lead on conservative issues like tax reform, tort reform to protect our physicians and small businesses from frivolous lawsuits, and regulatory reform to help get government out of the way of job growth,” said Wallingford. “I do want to reemphasize that I feel our nation is at a crossroads. We need a strong, proven conservative to serve as our next representative in Congress who will be willing and able to stand up to the political elites in Washington, DC.”

Wallingford, who attended both candidate forums for the 8th district, was widely thought of as a leading contender for the seat and was well received by committee members.

Wallingford arguably had the most impressive biography of any candidate seeking the seat. He served five tours of duty in Vietnam as a Lt. Colonel for the United States Air Force, as well as six tours of duty in Desert Storm. For his service he has received the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, 21 Air Medals and the Air Force Commendation Medal for Heroism.

A resident of Cape Girardeau, Wallingford has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska and an M.A. in Management Supervision with a specialization in Health Care Administration.

The 8th district committee meeting will be held on February 9th as planned. A special election will be held on June 4th between the republican and democratic nominees.