JEFFERSON CITY — Two-term state Rep. Barbara Phifer of Kirkwood, a retired United Methodist Church pastor, on Tuesday criticized “book banning†as she formally launched a campaign for Missouri secretary of state.
Members of the House Democratic Caucus appeared with Phifer as she announced her campaign in front of the Missouri River Regional Library in the capital city.
Of Missourians, Phifer said, “they want honesty, and they want clarity. They want transparency and they want professionalism, and that’s what I’m offering.â€
Besides overseeing elections, the secretary of state’s normally quiet role in distributing state funds to local libraries has come into focus in recent years amid culture wars over race and LGBTQ issues.
The Missouri Library Association has said regulations by current Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican running for governor, created ““ as libraries “try to interpret its vague language and determine what actions need to be taken†to ensure state funding.
People are also reading…
To receive state funds, Ashcroft’s regulations bar events at libraries without “an age-appropriate designation affixed to†advertisements for the event and that “no age-inappropriate materials in any form ... shall be knowingly displayed in†library areas designated predominantly for minors.
The policy goes on to allow parents of minor children to “dispute or challenge the library’s age-appropriate designation†for presentations, events, materials or displays.
One of the four Republicans who have filed to run, Valentina Gomez of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, made last month when she posted a video of herself to social media taking a flamethrower to LGBTQ-related books.
“A parent of minor children absolutely has the right already to say ‘my child is not eligible to take certain books out,’†Phifer said.
“What would Mark Twain think about book banning in Missouri?†Phifer asked, adding that her son, a librarian, was in attendance. “In 40 years of ministry, no one ever told me that they think we should ban more books.â€
Phifer also said she would strive to put forward neutral ballot summaries for initiative petitions that could go before voters.
Ashcroft, first elected in 2016, was rebuffed by Missouri courts last year in his attempts to summarize a series of possible ballot questions that would overturn the state’s near-total abortion ban.
“I would put aside any personal opinions that I have and I would strive always for strict neutrality in ballot language,†Phifer said. “I promise not to skew what it says.â€
Phifer first ran for the House in 2020, replacing state Rep. Deb Lavender in the Kirkwood-based 90th District, which Lavender flipped from Republican control in 2014.
Phifer drew attention in 2021 when, during her first legislative session, she was the only Democrat who voted to expel former state Rep. Wiley Price, D-ºüÀêÊÓƵ, following a House Ethics Committee investigation.
Phifer served as a minster in the United Methodist Church for 41 years until retiring in 2019, according to a campaign news release. Phifer and her husband, Tom, have five children and seven grandchildren, the release said.
Phifer’s campaign faces headwinds in deep-red Missouri, where voters have elected Republicans to all statewide offices. The last Democrat elected secretary of state was Jason Kander in 2012.
In addition to Gomez, other Republicans running include state Sen. Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg, state Rep. Adam Schwadron of St. Charles, and Shane Schoeller, the Greene County clerk.
Monique Williams and Gavin Bena, both of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, are also running as Democrats.