The 2025 Missouri Legislative Session has officially kicked off. Lawmakers in the House and Senate returned to Jefferson City to be officially sworn in.
The main event today was the Speaker’s race in the House. Over the course of the last few weeks, Representative Justin Sparks has been making alot of noise online over the fact that Representative Jon Patterson was named by the caucus as the Speaker-elect.
Patterson, who led HRCC to a historic victory on election day 2024, returned the Republican supermajority to power without losing a single seat. Despite Patterson and the House Republicans’ major victory, Sparks expressed his dissatisfaction with the caucus policy that required Republican members to help raise money for HRCC.
After several speeches were made, the time to vote for the Speaker finally came. Representative Ann Kelley presided over the House as the Temporary Speaker. The nomination process began when Representative Phil Amato nominated Jon Patterson. Amato was followed by Representative Wendy Hausman, who seconded the motion.
Shortly after Hausman spoke, Representative Bryant Wolfin stood up to give the first nomination for Sparks. Wolfin was then followed by Representative Mazzie Christensen. While Christensen was one of the few who publicly spoke out against Patterson, Wolfin came as a shock to some.
The Democrats followed behind. Representative Marlon Anderson stood to nominate Representative Ashley Aune. Aune’s nomination was seconded by Representative Aaron Crossley. Aune then stood up to speak.
“We can disagree politically, and still make the effort to know each other personally,” she stated “And we can find the common ground to focus on issues that make Missourian’s lives better.”
While Aune was well within her right to stand as a challenger, she instead opted to decline the nomination. Her speech was met with a standing ovation on the House floor.
The board was then opened for the Speaker’s vote, with only Patterson and Sparks as candidates.
The final vote total was 152-10, with every single one of the Democrats 52 members voting for Patterson, and only 10 Republicans voting for Sparks. The following Representatives voted for Sparks: Lisa Durnell, Keith Elliott, Mazzie Christensen, Deanna Self, Justin Sparks, Bob Titus, Bryant Wolfin, Steve Jordan, Dale Wright, and Burt Whaley.
Jon Patterson was brought in as the Speaker of the Missouri House.
“As Speaker, I ask you to join me today and commit to working together to make life safer, better, and more affordable for Missouri families,” stated Patterson in his acceptance speech.
Patterson’s election as Speaker is historic. Not only is he the first Asian American to be elected Speaker of the House, but is the first representative from Jackson County in over 150 years to become Speaker. He also is the first medical doctor to be elected Speaker in 140 years.
In his speech, Patterson highlighted the issues of mental health, crime, and affordable childcare as being the top priorities for the Missouri House.
Democrats may not be the only issue facing Patterson this year however. In a press conference after the House adjourned, Patterson was asked a question about Sparks’ challenge and whether or not it was due to policy disagreements. Patterson responded by stating that Sparks has an “Oceanic Ego.”
Time will tell if Patterson faces any more issues from Sparks and his nine other colleagues who voted for him. As for now, he seems to be enjoying the support his caucus has entrusted him with.
Jake Kroesen is a Jackson County native and a graduate of the University of Central Missouri. He holds a B.S. in Political Science.
