WENTZVILLE, Mo. – Former state representative and candidate for Missouri’ 2nd Senatorial District, Dr. Bob Onder announced a list of endorsements on Wednesday, spanning from Congresswoman Ann Wagner to state representatives and local mayors to Republican committeemen.
Onder sees great value in each of the people who have come forward to support him.
“Endorsements are terrific,” Onder told The Missouri Times. “All the people that endorsed me are going to be a huge help on the campaign going forward. Nothing beats going out there and doing what I’ve been doing for over a year now, which is meeting voters every day and we don’t intend to let up between now and 7:00pm on August 5.”
Onder attributes the length of the list to the variety of connections he has from serving with some to being friends with others.
“I think some perceive that I am the strongest conservative in the race,” Onder said. “Some of them have served with me and think that I would be the strongest choice for the legislature. I really am honored to be endorsed by all of those folks, certainly the state representatives who really know all three of us and feel that I would be the best state senate.”
The inclusion of Congresswoman Ann Wagner has turned a lot of attention to Onder’s campaign.
“I’m a big fan of [Wagner]. She’s been a terrific public servant for years behind the scenes and is doing a great job as a congresswoman from our state. It’s really an honor to be endorsed by her.”
Former past board member of Missouri Right to life, life member of the National Rifle Association, and past president and chairman of Missourians Against Human Cloning, Onder looks forward to putting his conservative values to work if elected.
“I look forward to being actively involved in formulating policy,” Onder said. “With the majorities that we have in the House and the Senate, there are opportunities to do some really good things, whether it’s in the area of education or tax reform or promoting the culture of life or promoting the Second Amendment. I look forward to being involved in a whole bunch of areas of
public policy.”
Onder is continuing to put his personal and grassroots outreach as a priority, but says the endorsements definitely help his campaign.
“We’ve had quite a few people communicating with us, especially on social media, and congratulating us on the endorsements,” Onder said. “A lot of grassroots is getting out there and meeting people, which I have been doing for over a year now. On the grassroots level, the endorsements from the mayors and state reps are really very valuable. Many people do know their state rep and know their mayor. They trust them, they elected them. ‘If they say, “Bob’s the guy,” then we’re going to support Bob, too.’ It’s been a very favorable response from the grassroots.”
There are no Democrats filed in the 2nd District, so the race will be decided in the three-way primary, which includes one current (Chuck Gatschenberger) and two former state representatives (Vicki Schneider and Bob Onder).
All three candidates have put $200,000 or more into their campaigns. Gatschenberger loaned $220,000, Schneider loaned $245,000, and Onder loaned $200,000 to their respective campaign committees. Including their personal loans with their April 15 filings, Gatschenberger has $267,950.09, Schneider has $301,430.29, and Onder has $288.156.68. The other campaigns are yet to release an endorsement list.
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.
