JEFFERSON CITY — A Republican state senator from southeast Missouri announced Tuesday she is running for lieutenant governor in 2024.
Sen. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, who was elected to the House in 2013 and the Senate in 2020, could face House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, in the August GOP primary.
“I am running for Missouri lieutenant governor because I want to better the lives of all Missourians by unabashedly protecting sacred Christian and conservative values,†she said in a press release.
Rehder, 53, has taken on a number of high profile issues in her tenure in the Statehouse, including serving as the sponsor this year of legislation prohibiting transgender girls from playing on female sports teams.
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Rehder is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications.
She co-founded a cable telecommunications contracting company, Integrity Communications, in 2004. Rehder later worked for the Missouri Cable Telecommunications Association.
Rehder last year published a memoir called “Cinder Girl: Growing up on America’s Fringe,†which recounted her being married at age 15 and a mother at 16.
She had been rumored as a potential pick for state treasurer by Gov. Mike Parson when Scott Fitzpatrick left to become auditor earlier this year. The governor ultimately chose political newcomer Vivek Malek.
She will start at a monetary disadvantage to Plocher, who has used his position as the top member of the House to amass a campaign account that tops $1.2 million through his personal campaign and an affiliated political action committee.
Rehder has $164,000 in her campaign account. Her Southern Drawl PAC had $50,878 through April.
In her announcement, Rehder outlined her approach to being a lawmaker.
“I am not afraid to rock the boat for the sake of my constituents,†Rehder said.
Along with sponsoring the ban on transgender sports this year, Rehder sponsored legislation last year that would bar homeless individuals from camping on state-owned land.
At the time, she said giving someone a free apartment is not getting to the root of the homeless problem.
“They need mental health treatment, substance abuse counseling and support beyond just a roof over their head,†Rehder said during debate on the issue.
She also sponsored a measure to set aside a day in January to honor the late Rush Limbaugh, a right-wing radio host from Cape Girardeau.
In 2017, Rehder was the lead member of a House effort to make Missouri a “right to work†state. The anti-union measure became law, but was rejected by voters when it was brought to a statewide vote.
She also sponsored an anti-union bill in 2014 requiring public employees to give written consent every year to automatically withdraw union dues or political contributions from their paychecks.
Rehder was a longtime champion of creating a prescription drug database designed to address the opioid epidemic. She said she supported the concept after watching her daughter struggle with addiction.
After years of gridlock, the prescription drug monitoring program was approved in 2021 and is set to go live this year.