Democrat Kathy Ellis to challenge U.S. Rep. Jason Smith in 8th again

Jefferson County Democrat Kathy Ellis will try again to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Jason Smith for the 8th District congressional seat in 2020.

Ellis, who resides in Festus, Missouri, ran against Smith in 2018.

Smith, of Salem, Missouri, won nearly 74% of the vote compared to 24% for Ellis and 1.5% for Libertarian Jonathan Shell, according to unofficial returns.

But Ellis said in a phone interview Thursday she is ready to make another run for office.

"I really thought about it long and hard," she said. "It is a challenging district."

The congressional districts spans a large area of Southern Missouri.

Ellis said she and her campaign staff put "well over 65,000 miles on my car" in the 2018 election.

"It was a new car when I got it; it is not anymore," she said, adding the vehicle also has been struck by a deer.

Ellis said she is more experienced and will be better funded this time around.

She said she has been in contact with "top notch" campaign professionals who want to be involved in her latest election bid.

"I have a great team in place that really knows what they are doing. In terms of fundraising, people know me when I call," she said.

In a news release announcing her candidacy, Ellis said that 8th District residents "need access to quality and affordable health care, well-paying union jobs and strong infrastructure development."

She added, "We need more services to deal with the opioid crisis and to combat the high maternal and infant mortality rates facing the district."

Ellis said she opposes President Donald Trump's tariff policies, which she said are hurting the farm economy.

"I think the farmers are as frustrated as everybody else," Ellis said. "It doesn't seem to me there is not much consideration in general of rural areas."

A licensed clinical social worker and addictions counselor for the past 35 years, Ellis said during her campaign last fall that there needs to be more civility in government.

There's less civility today, she said. "I think it has deteriorated even more."

Ellis said Congress needs to address the nation's problems. "People have to be willing to come to the table and they have to realize that nobody is going to get everything they want," she said.

Too many congressional incumbents are unopposed for re-election, Ellis said. "When there is an incumbent, there should always be somebody there to run against him," she said.

Ellis' campaign will hold an official kickoff rally on June 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri.

Do you like stories about government and courts? Keep up with the latest news by signing up for our daily morning headline email. Go to semissourian.com/newsletters to find out more.