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Eggleston announces state Senate bid

Rep. J. Eggleston, who is in his sixth year in the House, announced his bid for state Senate Monday. 

Eggleston is the chairman of the House Rules – Administrative Oversight Committee as well as the vice chairman of the Special Committee on Government Oversight. He represents HD 2 in northwest Missouri. 

“We need a strong voice that reflects the conservative lifestyle of our district. That voice needs to represent our local values and stand up for the freedoms we hold dear,” Eggleston said. “We know Northwest Missouri is a great place to live and raise our families, and our next state senator needs to back us up on that. I will be that voice in the state Senate just as I have been in the state House.” 

Eggleston is running for what is now SD 12 to replace outgoing Republican Sen. Dan Hegeman. The district includes Andrew, Atchison, Clinton, Daviess, Dekalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Mercer, Nodaway, Putnam, Sullivan, and Worth counties as well as part of Clay County. 

Eggleston is the former Ethics Committee chairman as well as assistant majority floor leader. During session this year, he led the charge in the lower chamber to forgive federal unemployment payments erroneously given to Missourians during the COVID-19 pandemic. (The bill ultimately did not make it through the General Assembly before session ended. 

In his campaign announcement, Eggleston said he is a “staunch pro-life, pro-Second Amendment Republican” who has previously been endorsed by the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, Missouri Right to Life, and Missouri Chamber of Commerce in past elections. He’s also received recognition from the Missouri Farm Bureau and the American Conservative Union. 

“Nearly everyone in our rural communities is connected to farming, teaching, or small business, and I feel blessed to have real-life experience in all three,” Eggleston said. 

Eggleston was raised on a farm and owns a consumer electronics small business he founded in 1994. He was a software engineer in Silicon Valley prior to opening his own business in Missouri. 

Eggleston is also an advocate for organ donation. He donated a kidney in 2018, helping both his wife and two strangers.