Wallingford, Swan and Francis win state legislative races

Republican candidates cruised to victory in three contested, area state legislative races Tuesday.

State Rep. Kathy Swan of Cape Girardeau garnered 73 percent of the vote in winning re-election in the 147th House District. She defeated Libertarian candidate Greg Tlapek by a vote of 10,558 to 3,771.

State Sen. Wayne Wallingford of Cape Girardeau easily won re-election, defeating Democrat Donnie Owens of Marquand in the District 27 race. The district covers Cape Girardeau, Perry, Madison, Scott, Bollinger and Wayne counties.

Wayne Wallingford

Wallingford captured more than 74 percent of the vote. He received 56,665 votes to 19,452 for Owens in the six-county district, according to the Missouri secretary of state's office.

The Republican senator piled up a huge vote margin in Cape Girardeau County, garnering 26,990 votes to 8,711 for his opponent.

GOP candidate Rick Francis of Perryville handily defeated Democrat Ronald Pember and Constitution Party candidate Victoria "Tori" Proffer, both of Fredericktown, for the open seat in the 145th House district.

Rick Francis

Francis received more than 78 percent of the vote, garnering 12,773 votes to 2,873 for Pember and 603 for Proffer.

Swan said she was honored to be re-elected, saying she plans to go back to the state Capitol to push for improvements in education and mental health services.

"I plan to be quite busy," she said.

Swan said she seeks to represent her constituents.

"It is definitely important to me to hear from the people who live here," she said, adding her constituents in Cape Girardeau County have good ideas.

Wallingford said he was "really humbled" voters in his six-county district have entrusted him with representing them in Jefferson City for another four years.

"I do represent the same conservative values that my district expects out of their senator."

He said his views contrast with the more liberal views of Owens, a school bus driver.

Francis, a retired educator who served three years on the Perry County District 32 school board, said he was "excited about the victory." He added he is looking forward to "serving the folks" in Madison, Perry and Bollinger counties.

Francis said his conservative views and "positive politics" resonated with voters.

"In these counties, it is also about your family values and Christian values," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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