Sara Walsh Announces Her Intent to Run For Rep. 50th Vacant Seat

Sara Walsh

By Rudi Keller Columbia Daily Tribune on Nov. 22, 2016

The yard signs are all put away and the winners from the Nov. 8 election are working on the transition to new offices.

Now it is time to start thinking about November 2018, and longtime Republican activist Sara Walsh is among the first to announce her plans. She will run for the 50th District Missouri House seat held by state Rep. Caleb Jones, R-Columbia, who is barred by term limits from seeking a fifth term.

Walsh, 37, is in her third term as the 19th Senate District Republican state committeewoman and in July was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

“I have been passionate about politics since I was a little girl,” Walsh said. “I tuned in to the Rush Limbaugh show back in 1993. I was 14 years old at the time. I bought his books, and I have been pretty passionate about politics ever since then.”

The 50th District covers portions of southern Columbia, where it takes in areas of the Fifth and Sixth wards, and southern Boone County including Ashland and Hartsburg. It also includes parts of Cole, Cooper and Moniteau counties. Jones has not had a primary or general election opponent since the district was drawn to its current boundaries before the 2012 election.

Just more than 70 percent of the votes recorded for Jones in general elections have come from Boone County with about 18 percent from Moniteau County. In Republican primary voting, about one-third of the ballots were from Moniteau County and a little more than half were cast in Boone.

No other candidate has formed a committee for the race. Boone County Democratic Chairwoman Angie Wood did not respond to a message seeking comment about her party’s plans for the district.

Walsh put a campaign committee in place in March to raise money for the 2018 race but hasn’t vigorously sought donors yet, she said.

The committee reported $1,152 in the bank on Sept. 30.

“I have been bringing in some donations, but my biggest push is going to be after January,” Walsh said.

Walsh holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Missouri and a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College. Born in Torrance, Calif., her family moved to Climax Springs in Camden County when she was 6, she said.

She married Steve Walsh, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, a Harrisonville Republican, in 2012.

Currently employed as member services coordinator for the Missouri Pharmacy Association, Sara Walsh worked in the state auditor’s office under Tom Schweich and as a legislative aide. For more than eight years, she was programs and outreach coordinator for the National Newspaper Association.

She ran unsuccessfully in 2010 for a seat on the Columbia Board of Education.

In the 2018 election, she offers voters a continuation of the representation they have had from Jones, Walsh said. As a member of the state platform committee and a national convention delegate who voted for the national platform, she said, she will support GOP programs and policies.

“What I want to do is keep that district in strong Republican hands,” Walsh said.

Continuation from Columbia Daily Tribune January 3, 2017 by Megan Favignano:

Sara Walsh, a longtime Republican activist who already had publicized her plans to run for Jones’ seat in 2018, said she will be running for the office once the seat officially is declared vacant.

“I have volunteers that are ready to jump in and help. We are ready to go,” Walsh said.

Walsh, 37, is serving her third term with the Missouri Republican State Committee, representing the state’s 19th Senate District. She currently works as member services coordinator for the Missouri Pharmacy Association.

Jones’ announcement on Tuesday that he would be joining the governor's office was not a surprise to Walsh.

“There was a rumor that he might get tapped because he’s done such a wonderful job. We were ready. We had anticipated this was a huge possibility,” Walsh said. “We are very happy for Caleb Jones for the service he has done for the district and wish him the best.”

Walsh has a master’s in public affairs from the University of Missouri, which she said gives her an advantage when combined with her work experience in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.

“I have a good feel for the district, and I know a lot of the people that are involved at the grassroots levels so that’s going to provide a good asset,” Walsh said.

Boone County Democratic Chairwoman Angie Wood did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

In the release, Greitens said Jones is a great conservative leader and will help take the state in a new direction.