WASHINGTON — The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is congratulating Representative-elect Trish Gunby on her victory in the special election for Missouri’s HD-99. In 2016, President Trump won the St. Louis County-based seat by 5 points.
“As a Missouri native myself, I couldn’t be more excited that Trish Gunby is going to the House of Representatives,” said DLCC President Jessica Post. “When I grew up near Trish, West St. Louis County was ruby red. Show Me Staters are alarmed at what their government is doing and are flashing a warning signal to Republican incumbents across the state.”
Gunby is a St. Louis native who’s lived in the district for over 25 years. A longtime community activist, she’s volunteered in the local public schools and as a member of the St. Louis Area Voter Protection Coalition. She decided to run because legislators in Jefferson City are engaged in partisan politics, rather than working on the day-to-day issues that matter to her community.
The suburban district was left open when former Representative Jean Evans became executive director of the Missouri Republican Party. Gunby defeated Republican Lee Ann Pitman to flip the district, which supported Senator Claire McCaskill last year as the GOP continues to lose ground in suburban areas.
Missouri Republicans stoked significant controversy this year by attacking reproductive rights, passing one of the most draconian anti-choice laws in the country. Unelected Governor Mike Parson has also targeted the state’s sole abortion clinic for closure. Courts have blocked both measures, and Gunby made protecting a woman’s right to choose a centerpiece of her campaign.
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