Farmington businessman Kent Scism has launched a Senate campaign for SD 3 with a heavy focus on healthcare and the opioid epidemic.
Scism runs his father’s car dealership, Sam Scism Ford. But as he’s getting ready to retire from the dealership, he decided he wasn’t ready to stop working for his community.
“I am running because I am passionate about my community, and I want to do everything I can to see it thrive,” Scism, a Republican, said. “I have been humbled by the tremendous support I have received in this community throughout my life, and I am dedicated to continuing my lifetime of services in the state Senate.”
As for what he brings to the table, Scism said his background with the family car dealership — where he’s worked since he was a teenager — lends him skills he would need in the Senate.
“Selling cars is a negotiation. Legislation is a negotiation. I think I have a hand up with that,” Scism told The Missouri Times. “Plus, I tend to be very thorough and get all the facts before I make a decision.”
Scism is particularly passionate about working to combat the opioid epidemic in the General Assembly. He and his wife, Angie, had three daughters but lost one to the crisis.
Scism would like to see Missouri enact a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) but also said drugs like fentanyl “start at the border.”
Additionally, he said he’s worried about the rising costs of healthcare and government regulations.
“As a businessperson, I’m not fond of a lot of government regulations,” Scism told The Missouri Times. “I have seen what that can do to a business and how much it can cost to comply with sometimes insane requirements from the government.”
“I firmly believe that if the next generation of Missouri’s workforce is going to have any hope of a better tomorrow, they need quality access to education and be free of government interference with the operation of small businesses.”
Scism is a graduate of Missouri State University. He reported having nearly $21,000 cash on hand at the end of the latest filing.
SD 3 is represented by Republican Sen. Gary Romine, who has held the seat since 2013.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
