Former Missouri state Representative Ben Baker (R-Neosho) left his position this week after seven years. President Trump appointed Baker to a position at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
His exodus has left the House seat in District 160 vacant – an area that represents 37,000 Newton County residents in Southwest Missouri, significantly impacting their representation.
Angela Thomas, the Newton County Democratic Party's Central Committee Chair, emphasizes the importance of timely representation for the district and hopes it will soon have a new representative.
"The biggest concern that I've had on the vacancy is that it be filled in the proper manner," she adds.
The district vacancy is the second of the 2025 Spring Legislative Session—District 95 representing St. Louis County has been empty since January.
The Missouri Constitution requires the governor to issue an election within 30 days of the vacancy. Without a special election, both districts will remain vacant for 20 months.
According to Thomas, Gov. Kehoe's office was 'unaware' of the vacancy in the two districts when she called his office this week.
Former Rep. Ben Baker ended his position on Friday, May 2, and gave a farewell speech on the House Dias the following day, for reference.
The Newton County Democrats sent out an e-mail yesterday regarding Baker's leaving with no plan of a special election, saying it's 'unacceptable.'
Thomas said the most important thing right now is encouraging the governor to commit to having a special election.
"The intent is to light up their phones until they can't get any other business done," she explained.
According to Thomas, as of yesterday, the Newton County clerk had spoken with the Republican party about the vacancy but not the Democratic party.
Gov. Kehoe's staff sends out a weekly email of his schedule in a press release.
He hasn't sent a schedule for the last two weeks.
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