Luetkemeyer and Baker to face off for Hulshof’s seat

Former state Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R) and state Rep. Judy Baker (D) emerged from their respective primaries Tuesday to take on each other this fall to see who will succeed Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R) in Missouri’s 9th District.

Luetkemeyer held off challenges from state Rep. Bob Onder and other Republicans after a bitter primary that pitted five candidates against each other.

{mosads}With 90 percent of precincts reporting, Luetkemeyer led with 39 percent of the vote, while Onder trailed with 31 percent. State Rep. Danielle Moore drew 19 percent, and former University of Missouri quarterback Brock Olivo had 10 percent.

“The people of the 9th District have made it clear that the liberal Congress is broken, and I vow to fight to fix it by battling for lower taxes, an affordable energy plan, secure borders and affordable and accessible healthcare,” Luetkemeyer said Tuesday night.

While Onder received the support of the conservative Club for Growth, Luetkemeyer was backed by Missouri Right to Life. Both had sunk significant amounts of personal funds into the race in the last week alone, with Onder self-funding $100,000 and Luetkemeyer spending $160,000 in personal money.

Among Democrats, Baker led with 42 percent of the vote, capitalizing on support from her home base near Columbia, where the University of Missouri is located, and also drawing support from western St. Louis suburbs.

Former Missouri House Speaker Steve Gaw was second to Baker with 33 percent of the vote. Democratic candidates Lyndon Bode and Ken Jacob did not figure prominently, drawing 14 and 11 percent, respectively.

Hulshof, who is retiring to run for governor, has represented the seat since being elected in 1996. The seat had been long-held by Democrats before 1996, and Democrats in Washington are targeting it this fall, adding it to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) Red to Blue program. The DCCC has reserved nearly $1 million in ad time for this fall to support Baker.

Hulshof won the Republican primary for governor Tuesday as well, besting state treasurer Sarah Steelman 49 to 45 with almost all precincts in. He will face Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon (D) this fall in the race to succeed retiring Gov. Matt Blunt (R).