Patty Lewis wins hotly contested Democratic primary for Missouri State Senate District 7
Rep. Patty Lewis has won the contentious Democratic primary race for Missouri State Senate’s 7th district Tuesday night.
Lewis, an ICU nurse, healthcare executive, and the current Democratic State Representative for District 25, was first elected to the Missouri State House in 2020. She will now face off against Republican Joey LaSalle in the general election.
The 7th district is a key region for Kansas City, including prominent areas such as Union Station, Westport, the Country Club Plaza, Brookside and Waldo. The district was previously held by former Democratic Sen. Greg Razer, who vacated his seat after Gov. Mike Parson appointed him to the State Tax Commission in April.
The Associated Press called the race just after 10:30 p.m. Lewis spent most of the night with a two-thirds lead over Contreras, and ended with about 67% of the votes with 87% of ballots counted, according to unofficial results released Tuesday night.
Lewis bested Contreras, vice president of business development at McCownGordon Construction, who faced off against her as the other Democrat on the primary ballot. Each campaigned on women’s rights, including the right to choose and to have full access to reproductive health.
Lewis built up a broad swath of support and was endorsed by a slew of Kansas City-area lawmakers, according to previous reporting by The Star. She was also backed by prominent organizations such as Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO and PROMO Missouri, the state’s major LGBTQ rights advocacy group.
“I first ran for State Rep for the same reason that I became a nurse: because I wanted to help people,” Lewis said in a statement prior to the primary election. “In the last four years, I’ve gotten a lot done for the people of Kansas City and I look forward to continuing to help as their State Senator.”
The Star’s Kacen Bayless’ reporting was used in this article.
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 10:44 PM.