Rehder ekes out state Senate win; Wallingford, Burger win House races

Four-tenths of 1% separated two state representatives seeking a state Senate seat.

Complete but unofficial results showed Holly Rehder of Sikeston, Missouri, eked out the win against Kathy Swan of Cape Girardeau by 141 votes — 16,834 to 16,693 — in the Republican primary to replace state Sen. Wayne Wallingford in the District 27 seat.

Wallingford won his race by fewer than 200 votes, beating John Voss in the District 147 Republican primary.

Home field advantages

Holly Rehder

Rehder and Swan racked up significant margins in their respective home counties.

Rehder defeated Swan 5,495 to 2,500 in Scott County, a margin of 2,995 votes, and Swan won Cape Girardeau County by a similar margin, 8,598 to 5,787, 2,811 votes.

Throughout the rest of the district, the two ran nearly evenly: Rehder won Wayne County by 38 votes and Madison County by 417; Swan won Bollinger County by 183 votes and Perry County by 315.

State law allows recounts for state-level elections in which the margin of victory is 0.5% or less.

As of presstime, Swan had made no announcement of whether she would seek a recount.

Rehder said the race was a battle between legislative veterans.

Donnie Owens

“This was a spirited campaign and I was up against a strong opponent in Rep. Kathy Swan. She has served Cape Girardeau well for many years, and I certainly respect her service,” she said in a statement released to news media. “Today, voters chose a different path of fearless conservatism that didn’t just stand for the way things have always been, but new ideas on how we can move this state forward. I look forward to being a part of those solutions in the Missouri Senate.”

Democrat Donnie Owens will face Rehder in November’s general election.

District 147

Wayne Wallingford

The race for the Republican nomination for the state House seat that covers a portion of Cape Girardeau was decided by 192 votes, as Wallingford won 2,801 to 2,609 over former Cape Girardeau City Council member Voss.

Wallingford, term-limited in the Senate, said his record of getting legislation across the finish line and signed into law contributed, he believes, to his win.

Andy Leighton

“It has been an honor to serve this region, and I look forward to continuing to do so in the Missouri House. We are going to be confronting a number of issues during the upcoming legislative session — including getting our state’s economy back on track, protecting our values, and defending our Constitution — and I will work as hard as I can to serve as a voice for the people of this district,” he said in a statement released to news media.

In a telephone interview, Wallingford said he still has issues on which to focus.

“There are a lot of areas I can concentrate on,” he noted.

Wallingford is an Air Force veteran and businessman.

He will face Democrat Andy Leighton in the general election.

Jamie Burger

District 148

In the Republican candidate race for the District 148 state representative, Jamie Burger received 3,409 Scott County votes and 766 Mississippi County votes over his opponent Will Perry, who received 2,843 Scott County votes and 592 Mississippi County votes.

Burger amassed 4,175 total votes to Perry’s 3,435, 55% of the total vote.