JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — State Rep. Matt Sain decided to forgo a re-election bid for his Kansas City seat after just one term in the General Assembly.
In a statement Tuesday, the final day of candidate filing, Sain said he needed to “reprioritize” after “needs” in both his personal and professional lives have changed. Sain and his wife have two young sons: a four-year-old and a nearly two-year-old.
“I promised the people of the 14th District that I would always stand up for them — and I believe I was true to this promise,” Sain, a Democrat, said. “I have always been on the front lines regarding important and controversial issues, while vocally advocating for the people of my district and the progressive values and traditions that built our great state.”
“There is still much more I want to accomplish on the long march to a more just, equitable society. I will continue to use all that I have learned throughout my career to keep pressing towards that world, both in our home of Kansas City and the great state of Missouri.”
Below is a statement on my decision not to run for re-election in 2020. #moleg pic.twitter.com/rc5nX8JDZE
— Matt Sain (@mattdsain) March 31, 2020
Sain was first elected to the state House in 2018 as a new parent and law student. Aside from his work in the legislature, he worked as a law clerk in Kansas City.
Sain received a degree in criminal justice and planned to go into law enforcement, he previously told The Missouri Times. But in 2018, he upset incumbent Republican Rep. Kevin Corlew for the HD 14 race with an emphasis on improving public schools, senior services, and expanding Medicaid.
Although Sain had filed with the Secretary of State’s office, he announced Tuesday he would not seek re-election. But he promised his constituents he would “continue to fight for them and for the relief that they, and the rest of the families of our state, desperately need.”
Republican Eric Holmes and Democrat Ashley Aune have filed to run for HD 14. Neither has campaign finance reports available with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Sain, on the other hand, reported having nearly $3,000 cash on hand in January.
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.
