Republican narrowly unseats Platte County’s first Black lawmaker, flips MO House seat
Voters in Platte County on Tuesday seem to have narrowly elected Republican Mike Jones to the Missouri General Assembly, flipping the seat after Rep. Jamie Johnson, a Democrat, became the first Black lawmaker to represent the county in 2022.
As of 9:10 p.m. Jones had 51% of the vote, with 11 of 11 precincts reporting, according to unofficial results from the Platte County Board of Elections. His opponent, Democratic Rep. Jamie Johnson, captured 49% of the votes.
The race was extremely close, with a difference of only 200 votes. Jones got 10,102, and Johnson got 9,902.
“I’m very grateful to the voters of District 12 for the honor to represent them in Jefferson City and am looking forward to doing my part to restore sanity and civility to state government,” said Jones.
He thanked Jamie Johnson for her service for the past two years.
The district encompasses most of southern Platte County. In 2022, Johnson flipped the previously Republican-held seat by receiving 52% of the ballots cast.
Jones, a small business owner, emphasized during the campaign his support for school safety and higher teacher pay. He has emphasized restrictions on transgender students playing school sports or accessing gender-affirming medical care, cutting property taxes, increasing funding for law enforcement and increasing prison sentences for crimes, according to his campaign website.
In Johnson’s first term in Jefferson City, she sponsored legislation to try to get health insurance to cover doula services for expecting parents and to make it against the law for a minor to have a gun on public property. She also served on a special committee dedicated to property tax reform.
Johnson relocated to Platte County after Hurricane Katrina devastated her home in New Orleans 18 years ago. She and her family initially moved to Leavenworth, where they had some relatives in the military, and eventually decided to settle in Platte County due to its close-knit community.
During her bid to be re-elected, Johnson said she wanted to focus on public education funding and health care access for residents in the Northland.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 9:35 PM.