Missouri Primary Election is August 4th, please support MSTA Impact endorsed candidates.

The MSTA Legislative Impact Committee works hard to evaluate candidates that will support public education.  You can find an entire list of endorsed candidates here.  Impact would like to highlight a few very important State Senate races that will help shape education policy at the state level for years to come.  Many of the races have become quite negative with late funding from outside groups that traditionally advocate for ending teacher tenure protections, school vouchers, and charter school expansion.  The Impact Committee evaluates candidates based on the candidates’ positions on educations issues including any previous voting records, candidate surveys and information from local educators.

District 3

Elaine Gannon

Counties: Iron, Reynolds, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Washington and part of Jefferson.

Prior to serving as the State Representative in House District 115, Elaine Gannon was a junior high physical education teacher in the DeSoto Public Schools.  She was an MSTA member for 32 years.  Elaine Gannon has voted to support public education throughout her time in the Missouri House and has always maintained an excellent relationship with the teachers in her district.

In order to vote for Elaine Gannon, you must vote in the August 4th primary and request a republican ballot.  This race will be decided in the August primary as there are no other candidates filed to run from other parties.

District 13

Tommie Pierson Jr.

North St. Louis County

Tommie Pierson Jr. is a math teacher in the Hazelwood School District, teaching 7th grade math at Hazelwood East Middle School.  He serves as the pastor of inStep Church and currently is employed as a statistician with a St. Louis data analytics firm.  He has served two terms in the Missouri House and was elected to serve as Assistant Democratic Floor Leader.  Tommie has a strong record of supporting public education the leadership abilities to stand up for Missouri students and teachers.

In order to vote for Tommie Pierson Jr, you must vote in the August 4th primary and request a democrat ballot.

District 27

Kathy Swan

Counties: Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Madison, Perry, Scott, and Wayne

A small business owner, Kathy Swan has been a leader in both the community and in the state for over twenty years. Kathy is a former Chair of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and understands the importance of supporting public education.  During the 2020 legislative session, she was awarded the MSTA Friend of Education award.

In order to vote for Kathy Swan, you must vote in the August 4th primary and request a republican ballot.

District 33

Karla Eslinger

Counties: Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Ripley, Texas, Webster, and Wright

Karla Eslinger is a lifelong educator with more than 30 years of experience in a variety of educational settings. Karla Eslinger has a strong record of supporting MSTA members in the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. She began her career as an elementary school teacher and went on to work as a building principal and a superintendent of schools.

In order to vote for Karla Eslinger, you must vote in the August 4th primary and request a republican ballot.

Please be sure to share this information with your friends, families and coworkers and encourage them to vote on August 4th and support MSTA Impact endorsed candidates that support public education.

You can find a full list of endorsements at www.msta.org/endorsed-candidate-list-2020