Former high school teacher Connor Nowalk is running for a Kansas City-area House seat with a focus on public education.
Nowalk has thrown his hat into the ring for HD 24, an open seat since Democratic Rep. Judy Morgan is term-limited. Nowalk is the director of data and evaluation for The Literacy Lab, a nonprofit focused on literacy tutors in elementary schools, and a former Guadalupe Centers High School teacher.
“One of the most essential responsibilities of our state government is funding public education, and for years, Missouri has failed to provide adequate and equitable funding — from preschool through higher education,” Nowalk, 32, said. “The situation is even more urgent now as our schools prepare to support students who have been out of classrooms for an extended time.”
“My top priority is ensuring our schools have the resources they need now and into the future,” he said.
Aside from education, Nowalk pointed to gun violence, health care, and racial inequality as other issues he’s passionate about.
“I’m really passionate about what I do, and I’m really passionate about doing whatever it takes to undo the systems that we’ve created that cause harm to people,” Nowalk told The Missouri Times.
Nowalk faces Emily Weber, a graphic designer and marketing professional, in the Democratic primary in August. Weber has served as a board member for the Women in Politics Foundation and the Greater Kansas City Women’s Political Caucus. She also has experience in fundraising for a pit bull rescue organization and as a volunteer for Planned Parenthood.
“I’m running to represent the 24th District because now, more than ever, Missouri needs strong women serving our state,” Weber previously told The Missouri Times.
Weber had more than $17,500 cash on hand as of the latest filings. Nowalk had more than $2,600. Sammie Arnold, who has also filed to run in the Democratic primary for HD 24, did not report having any cash on hand.
No Republican has filed to run for the seat.
Nowalk’s campaign is hosting a virtual town hall Thursday at 6 p.m. for voters who wish to learn more about him.
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.
