Politics & Government

Lembke Running For Re-Election on Budget Priority

The senator filed early Tuesday morning.

The Missouri State Senate race is officially underway as Sen. Jim Lembke (R-Lemay) filed to run for re-election in the First District Tuesday morning.

A bipartisan committee earlier this month, placing Mehlville, Oakville and Lemay with Webster Groves and Maplewood. Previously, Sunset Hills and Concord were in the First District along with the rest of South County.

The 50-year-old senator previously said in the newly-configured districts, but further analysis changed his decision.

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“Originally, we were just more or less looking at the district not knowing the numbers and going with the very little information we had,” he said. “Now, after assessing the district, we believe that based on other races in the last couple of cycles that we can win.”

Lembke said he was looking forward to sitting down with business owners and community leaders in the new territory, naming the state’s budget as his main priority.

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“My work has always been focused on the budget process—I think my biggest accomplishment is to make sure the government lives within its means and is a good steward of the peoples’ money so we don’t have to come back time and time again and ask for more of what’s theirs,” he said.

Lembke, who graduated from in 1979, was elected to the Senate in 2008 after serving in the House of Representatives since 2002.

As of March 21, Lembke is running against Democratic prospects Sue Schoemehl and Michael Vogt. Filing ends for the race on March 27.


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