Republican incumbent Sara Walsh defeated her opponent and secured another term in as representative for the Missouri House of Representatives District 50. According to the Missouri secretary of state, Walsh won with 62% of the vote. State House District 50 includes Boone, Cole, Cooper and Moniteau counties.
Within these counties, the cities of Ashland, California, Columbia and Prairie Home are represented.
Walsh said Tuesday night she does not plan to bask in her victory long. “I’ve got bills already that I'm getting pre-drafted to pre-file for the beginning of December,” she said.
Walsh was first elected to office in 2017. During her time in the House of Representatives, she has been appointed to multiple committees, including the Joint Committee on Public Employee Retirement, the Budget Committee, the Fiscal Review Committee and the Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee.
In 2018, Walsh defeated her democratic opponent Michela Skelton by nearly 3,000 votes. Walsh’s opponent, Kari Chesney, was a first time candidate. She is a veterinarian and PhD candidate at the University of Missouri. Chesney has been a committee member for the City of Columbia Public Transit commission and City of Columbia/Boone county joint Energy and Environment commission.
In 2018-2020, she held executive board positions for the Graduate Professional Council as National and State Affairs Director managing advocacy for public education in Jefferson City and Washington D.C.. Both candidates ran unopposed in August’s primary. Walsh says she looks forward to keeping promises she has made in the previous two elections she won.