Renee Hoagenson got more of a challenge than she was expecting.
Hoagenson finally came out ahead at nearly 11 p.m. on Tuesday night after a night of close competition with 4th District Democratic house opponent Hallie Thompson,
After spending much of the night behind her opponent as polls were reported, Hoagenson ended up with 51.9% of the vote, all precincts reporting.
Tonight’s tight race is only the beginning for Hoagenson. She will be heading toward a competitive general election against 4th District incumbent Vicky Hartzler, who will be running for her sixth term in Congress.
During her victory speech, given at her campaign watch party at The Vault in downtown Columbia, she said she’ll be taking on Hartzler head-to-head.
“I just want to make sure Representative Hartzler knows we’re gonna be holding some debates,” she said during her victory speech.
Hoagenson, a Columbia resident for 33 years, is a former business owner and has served on several local political committee.
She set the tone for her campaign early, announcing her campaign on International Women’s Day in 2017.
“I think our congress should be representative of our country, that means that 51 percent of our congress should be women,” Hoagenson said.
Though her victory was just announced, Hoagenson’s campaign manager said she will be holding her opponent accountable for her political record.
“We’re gonna be trying to challenge Vicky to make sure she actually comes out to the district, engages in some discussions out here in the district, hold her accountable for some of her votes in congress, and make sure that the voters actually know who they want to represent them come November.”
