Former state senator Jerry Howard seeks state House seat

Former state senator Jerry Howard wants to return to the Missouri Legislature, only this time on the state House side where he served before becoming a state senator.

The Dexter, Missouri, Democrat is a candidate for state representative in District 151, encompassing Stoddard County and part of Scott County.

Howard said he served in the House before term limits were established. As a result, Howard said he is eligible to run again for a House seat.

Howard�s roots are in Cape Girardeau County. He was educated in the Oak Ridge and Cape Girardeau school districts, graduating from Cape Girardeau Central High School.

He received a bachelor�s degree from Southeast Missouri State University, with majors in agriculture and biology.

The longtime lawmaker said in a news release Tuesday he is ready to return to the Legislature and now can �devote more time to serving the people of Southeast Missouri, the state and, most particularly, legislative District 151.�

Howard served several terms in the House in the 1970s and 1980s. He was first elected to the Senate in 1990 in a special election.

He served 10 years in the Senate before leaving office in 2000 and returning to farming.

Howard is challenging state Rep. Herman Morse, a Dexter Republican, in the November election. Morse was elected in 2017 to fill an unexpired term. Libertarian candidate Rick Vandeven of Chaffee, Missouri, also is running for the seat.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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