Republican Caleb Rowden and Democrat Stephen Webber square off against each other
for election to the Missouri Senate from our local District 19. It’s the district recently
vacated by Kurt Schaefer, who recently ran and lost the Republican primary race for
state attorney general.
Both Rowden and Webber are graduating from service in local districts in the Missouri
House of Representatives.
Rowden has the more difficult case to make. As a Republican, he is torn between support for his party’s statewide conservative positions and popular local issues such as funding for the
University of Missouri, expansion of Medicaid, ethics reform and campaign funding
limits. He has tried to be on both sides, but the stretch is painful.
That does not mean Rowden’s GOP persona will miss the mark with everyone in the
19th District, but it includes Webber’s previous House constituency, which is strongly
Democratic. As part of the legislative minority, Webber has been kept from passing bills
or otherwise making a large mark in office, but not being in league with the Republican
majority is not an indictment.
Indeed, in his eight years in office Stephen Webber has become popular because of his
personal characteristics and moderate policy positions. His support extends beyond the
traditional Democratic base. He has shown himself as thoughtful and honest, thoroughly likeable and principled.
In short, Stephen Webber is the sort of person we always should look for when choosing
people for public office, particularly this year in the race in Senate District 19.
Caleb Rowden is unconvincing in his attempt to straddle the political divide. He is a
dependable vote for the reactionary status quo in the Missouri General Assembly. We
should elect Stephen Webber for Missouri Senate, District 19.