Lichtenegger officially announces Missouri House re-election bid

Rep. Donna Lichtenegger doesn't want to leave the House.

While the Jackson Republican had been mulling a run at the state Senate, she announced Wednesday that she will instead seek a second House term.

"I love doing the hands-on things for my constituents," she said. "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do that in the Senate because the districts are so much bigger; you'd have twice the number of constituents."

In her first term, Lichtenegger was appointed vice chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee for Health, Mental Health and Social Services, which is responsible for roughly one-third of the state's budget. She was also one of only three freshman state representatives out of 60 who introduced a bill that was passed in both chambers and signed into law by Gov. Jay Nixon last year.

The law allows foreign dentists to teach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, she said, which helps address a shortage of dental instructors.

Legislation she wants to work on includes equalizing insurance reimbursements to physical therapists. Under the law now, physical therapists who work at hospitals see larger reimbursements than those in private practice.

She also has co-sponsored a bill that largely eliminates pensions for those who are elected to the Missouri Legislature.

In order to stay in the House, Lichtenegger will have to beat an old foe, though. In December, Gerald Adams announced he also will run again for the newly redrawn 146th District.

Adams is a 14-year member of the Jackson School Board. He has been an employee of Nordenia USA for 14 years as a printer. Before working at Nordenia, he and his family owned and operated G-N-A Dairy.

He lost to Lichtenegger in 2010 for the existing 157th District, which includes Jackson, northern Cape Girardeau County and most of Perry County except Perryville. But the new district, prompted by last year's census, cuts Perry County from the equation.

Adams says that is to his advantage, because his loss was only by 300 votes, almost all of which came from Perry County. Adams won in Jackson and in Cape Girardeau County by 10 votes. The new 146th will basically be Cape Girardeau County, excluding Cape Girardeau. It will include portions previously represented by Republican state Reps. Ellen Brandom and Billy Pat Wright.

A lawsuit filed Friday seeks to overturn the redrawn districts but hasn't yet been heard. The redrawn map of state Senate districts was recently overturned, and a commission is now setting about redrawing it.

"I'm not really worried about that," Lichtenegger said when she was reminded of the 2010 results. "It was only 10 votes. That's basically a draw."

But she said her work in the House and her strong constituent services should persuade voters she deserves a second term.

Adams said that as far as he's concerned, Lichtenegger isn't an incumbent in the rematch.

"She's an incumbent for the 157th, not this new one," he said. "There's a whole group of voters who were represented by Billy Pat Wright and Ellen Brandom who haven't voted for either of us yet."

According to January campaign filings, Lichtenegger has $6,871 cash on hand. Adams is forming his campaign committee.

Filing for state legislative elections starts Feb. 28.

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