Democrat Betsy Fogle has won the race for Missouri Senate District 30 and the right to represent Springfield in Jefferson City. She defeated Republican Representative Melanie Stinnett and Libertarian Cecil Ince on Tuesday. Fogle will replace outgoing term-limited Republican Lincoln Hough who supported Fogle financially in her campaign.
Missouri's Democratic Party headed into the Midterms with one big goal — make a dent in the supermajority state Republicans have had since 2012.
State Senate District 30 was part of that plan.
District 30 is one of four Missouri Senate races the party made a special point of signaling investment in, strategically spending money and resources in hopes of tipping the scales in what was seen as an increasingly competitive district.
District 30 has been solidly Republican and has been served by successive high profile Republican politicians going back to "Aunt" Norma Champion, who was elected in 2002. Champion was succeeded by Bob Dixon, current Greene County Commissioner and son of former State Rep. Emily van Schenkhof Dixon. Dixon won the district by almost 30 points in 2010 and ran unopposed in 2014.
In her victory speech at the Greene County Democratic watch party in Springfield Tuesday night, Fogle thanked her parents for showing her how two people with differing political views can get along.
"My mom is a proud Republican, but also a strong supporter of mine," she said. "My dad, they have different political opinions, but I watched as the years unfolded, what it looked like when two people disagreed, but came together around the kitchen table at night to make the decisions that were best for our family. And I think that's what this country is all about."
She promised to work to fully fund public schools and to make sure kids don't get lost in the foster care system and those with disabilities don't get left behind.
"I believe in making sure we have a tax structure that doesn't shift the burden of who's paying them from the top few percent to the backs of working families and retirees across the state," she said. "My commitment to every single one of you is that I will go to Jefferson City and change the system, and I will not let it change me."
Most recently, District 30 has been served by outgoing State Senator Lincoln Hough. Hough won his initial 2018 election by less than 7 points. Hough has been seen as a moderate Republican who has made an effort to work across the aisle.
Hough made headlines in October, for breaking from his party and donating to Senate District 30's Democratic Candidate Betsy Fogle's campaign.
In an interview with the Springfield Daily Citizen Hough said he was "happy to support" Fogle. He added, "she's shown me that she'll stand up and do the right thing, whether it's advantageous to her or not."
Hough's support for Fogle followed a contentious final year for the outgoing senator.
Hough was removed by his party's leaders from a prestigious and powerful position as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in late 2025, after feuding with Republicans over their choice to close debate in the senate during the special session to redraw Missouri congressional district. He has since made claims that the Republican Party has changed and criticized what he calls a lack of compromise and dialog.
That perceived unilateral attitude is also an undercurrent in Democratic Party frustrations with the Republican supermajority.
In speaking with KSMU as a candidate ahead of the election, Betsy Fogle said she hoped for the opportunity to bring balance and collaboration to the chamber:
"I decided to run for the State Senate seat, because right now in Missouri, a bill can be filed in the House, into the Senate and signed by the governor without needing a single vote from the minority party. And I'm an absolute firm believer that balance is a good thing and we should work across the aisle. And right now in Missouri, we just don't have the opportunity to do so."
Fogle served for six years as state representative for Missouri House District 135. She faced Republican candidate Melanie Stinnett who has served House District 133 since 2022.
In Spring 2025, Representative Stinnett, told KSMU she entered the MO Senate race as a way to continue work that she'd begun in the Missouri House.
"I think that my experience in health care, which led me to run for the state House, has really proven to be a valuable skill set and a valuable piece in in the House. And I think in working toward real legislation that improves lives and that policy work that goes behind that," she said. "I think from the Senate side, we can do that in an even more deliberative way. And I look forward to that opportunity just to continue to work on legislation that improves everyday lives of people back home."
Fogle also campaigned on her experience in health care. Both Fogle and Stinnett had been perceived as relatively moderate wings of their parties; both campaigned on kitchen table issues like affordability and education.
Fogle's campaign outraised and outspent Stinnett's.
The final Missouri Ethics Commission filing ahead of the election showed $836,736 raised this cycle by Fogle, with $749,045 spent; the campaign still reported $136,543 in money on hand.
Stinnett's Campaign showed $727,078 raised, with $528,764 spent. The campaign reported $245,219 on hand. Those totals don't include the thousands spent by independent Political Action Committees in support of and opposition to both candidates.
Fogle's campaign ultimately prevailed.
Michele Skalicky and Jorja Lageschulte contributed to this story.
Copyright 2026 KSMU