The race to succeed Republican Caleb Rowden in the Missouri House of
Representatives 44th District pits two political veterans against each other.
Republican Cheri Reisch and Democrat Tom Pauley have been civil
adversaries in Hallsville, a jurisdiction known for considerable political
scuffling. Both candidates are persistent and determined. Both have
good reputations for honesty. Depending on your partisan leaning,
either could do a good job in the Missouri General Assembly.
But they present a distinct choice to voters next month. Both can com-
promise on occasion, but Reisch is a real Republican and Pauley is
a real Democrat.
Reisch is against Medicaid expansion and for right-to-work. Pauley
takes the opposite side on each. Pauley accuses Republicans of tax policies
that starve education and public infrastructure; Reisch says tax cuts
will increase revenue.
Pauley supports abortion choice, and Reisch touts her support from
Missouri Right to Life.
Both candidates have been active in their respective party organizations.
Both are persistent and ready to fight for their beliefs. They represent
the split political sentiments in the 44th District, but this year Tom
Pauley is on the right side of history.
The Missouri General Assembly has been gerrymandered into one of the
most conservative in the nation, pushing Missouri into outlier status on
several fronts. Refusal to participate in federally subsidized expansion of
Medicaid is an example. Our position as a poor state in support of education,
roads and other infrastructure does not call for suddenly becoming a high-tax
state; we merely need to become average to turn the tide.
Except for the resistance of a Democratic governor, Missouri would have
become another Kansas in budget parsimony.
So, even though Cheri Reisch is a good representative of doctrinaire Republican
positions, now is the time for mitigating, not preserving, her party’s grip on l
egislative direction. It will take more than the election of Tom Pauley to correct
 the imbalance, but a switch in the 44th District is a step in the right direction.
Pauley is experienced in legislative affairs. He was an intern in the office of Rep.
Chuck Graham. He lobbied for years to repeal the motorcycle helmet law, learning
the legislative process. Even though he would be a minority member, he knows
the “nuts and bolts” of the system.
Tom Pauley for state representative, 44th District.