ST. LOUIS COUNTY 鈥 Mark Osmack wants to represent a Missouri Senate district that stretches from Glendale to Ellisville. So does state Rep. Deb Lavender, a Kirkwood Democrat.
Osmack, also a Democrat from Kirkwood, said he announced his candidacy on May 21 after Lavender assured him she would not run. But this week, Lavender changed her mind. Osmack says she broke her promise to stay out of the race. And he isn鈥檛 happy about it.
鈥淭his is all of her making, so I鈥檓 not sure if ego is involved or what,鈥 Osmack told the Post-Dispatch.
He said Lavender informed him of her decision on Memorial Day 鈥 a holiday revered by Osmack, who is an Army veteran.
鈥淪he told me this on Memorial Day,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 a veteran and I鈥檝e lost friends in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bad move. You want to talk about tone deaf, you want to talk about not being aware of the issues that really matter, that鈥檚 how you show it.鈥
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Lavender said she apologized to Osmack for changing her mind, but declined to comment further on the dispute. She could serve one more term in the House before being forced out by term limits, but decided to run for the Senate.
鈥淚 have struggled with that decision for the last week and a half,鈥 Lavender said. 鈥淚 have until very recently been content to finish up my four terms in the House.鈥
She said the passage of an anti-abortion bill supported by Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, made her realize 鈥渉ow extreme my state senator is.鈥
With two Democrats running in the 15th Senate District, the August 2020 primary will decide which candidate will face Koenig in the November election.
The district is one of only a couple that Democrats acknowledge they could conceivably flip from Republican control next year, because of a suburban electorate that has warmed to Democrats in the last several election cycles.
The district boundary is roughly Glendale to the east, Ellisville to the west and Ballwin to the north, with the southern boundary running along the southern 狐狸视频 County line.
When asked why Democrats should choose Osmack, 37, over Lavender, he said: 鈥淥ne, I鈥檓 a veteran. We have no Democratic veterans in the state Senate. 鈥 We also need new direction as a party. Democrats are outnumbered 3-1. Their game plan hasn鈥檛 worked, and if we don鈥檛 change it鈥檚 not going to work.
鈥淲e do have the name ID because I ran for Congress last year,鈥 Osmack said. 鈥淪he is known in Kirkwood. I think she鈥檚 retired, I don鈥檛 know, but she鈥檚 in her 60s. I think a new brand of leadership that is young, energetic, vibrant is needed.鈥
Lavender, 62, is a physical therapist who runs her own practice on Manchester Road. She is not retired.
After this article was published online Thursday, Osmack called a reporter and said he didn鈥檛 mean to denigrate Lavender鈥檚 age, and added that he regretted those comments.
When asked why she felt she was the best Democrat, Lavender said: 鈥淚 think I have a proven track record of working hard for a campaign, being able to raise money and have proven my leadership in the House in this position working for the people of Missouri.鈥
Lavender has hoofed her Kirkwood-based district for more than a decade. She first ran for the Missouri House in 2008, losing three times before finally winning the previously Republican-held 90th House District in 2014.
In 2016, she easily defeated her GOP opponent, winning nearly 57% of the vote. No Republican ran against her in 2018, a likely reflection of the shifting politics of suburban areas like Kirkwood, and Lavender鈥檚 name recognition and popularity within her district.
Osmack ran for Congress last year, placing second in a crowded Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District.
Lavender and Osmack are seeking to paint Koenig as too 鈥渆xtreme鈥 for the district. Koenig, 36, helped shepherd the anti-abortion law Gov. Mike Parson signed last week.
Koenig is a member of the six-member Senate Conservative Caucus, which sought to stymie much of Parson鈥檚 agenda this past legislative session. The group embarked on a 27-hour filibuster in a failed effort to derail a package of incentives for General Motors鈥 Wentzville plant.
Parson鈥檚 plan included other 鈥渨orkforce development鈥 tools, including a new $10 million scholarship program.
Koenig, in an interview, said he had worked on issues like foster care and said he opposed 鈥渃orporate welfare.鈥 He said issues such as these appeal to most voters.
And, Koenig said he was not too extreme. But, he suggested Osmack was. (The interview took place before Lavender鈥檚 candidacy was confirmed.)
鈥淚 think my opponent, Osmack 鈥 although I haven鈥檛 heard a lot from him 鈥 he鈥檚 probably going to be more extreme 鈥 on the left side 鈥 than what my district would represent,鈥 Koenig said.