Holly Thompson Rehder announces bid for state lieutenant governor

Republican Holly Thompson Rehder, a senator in the state's 27th district, which includes Cape Girardeau, announced a bid for lieutenant governor Tuesday, July 11.

Before being elected to the state Senate in 2020, Thompson Rehder, 53, served in the Missouri House from 2013 through 2020. Thompson Rehder was also a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Missouri.

Thompson Rehder's announcement comes on the heels of publishing a book in April. Her memoir, "Cinder Girl: Growing Up on America's Fringe", tells the story of how she struggled through and overcame her upbringing in poverty, abuse, marriage at the age of 15 and teen pregnancy. Thompson Rehder now serves on the Missouri Rights of Victims of Sexual Assault Task Force and on the Statewide Council on Sex Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children.

Thompson Rehder's platform and voting record have largely followed traditional conservative priorities, but Thompson Rehder's background and history have served as motivation for her to push for bills not necessarily on the Republican front burner.

For example, Thompson Rehder fought for the launch of a prescription pill database to combat the opioid epidemic by identifying so-called "doctor shoppers". Missouri was the last state in the country to launch such a drug-monitoring program.

Thompson Rehder said such a bill could have helped her daughter's struggle with pill abuse. The senator had to overcome resistance from members of her own party for multiple years to finally push the bill into law.

Thompson Rehder also sponsored legislation to legalize needle-exchange programs to prevent the spread of diseases and to encourage addicts to receive treatment.

Thompson Rehder feuded with other Republicans in 2022, after the tone of debate crossed "the red line for me" during a debate over legislation concerning sexual assault survivors. Thompson Rehder had worked on the legislation with Democrats.

Some Republicans, Thompson Rehder said at the time, were undermining her efforts with "their hot-button, partisan issues to other's bills that have in some cases been worked on for months."

She added that the conservative caucus engaged in "constant adversarial and classless actions," and saying this tone was coming from "a few senators who can't, or won't, put in the work to get their own legislation through the process," according to an article published by The Missouri Independent. Thompson Rehder's bill was in conflict with measures wanting to ban explicit or obscene materials from children in schools.

In announcing her run for lieutenant governor, Thompson Rehder said she wants "to better the lives of "all Missourians" by "unabashedly protecting" Christian and conservative values. She is a member of Life Church in Sikeston, Missouri, according to her Senate website page.

"I am not afraid to rock the boat for the sake of my constituents," she said. "I am proud of my history that is filled with championing reforms and legislation that improves the lives of all Missourians -- not just the chosen few."

In her announcement news release, Thompson Rehder touted her bill that bans transgender athletes from playing girls or women's sports.

Earlier in her political career, the former business owner and lobbyist co-sponsored the state's right-to-work law, which discourages unions.

Thompson Rehder was one of a handful of Republicans who pushed for Gov. Mike Parson to call a special session to vote on whether to ban employer mandates for COVID-19 vaccines. During the pandemic, Thompson Rehder said in a video that the pandemic highlighted the need for more high-speed broadband internet in the rural areas of the Southeast Missouri region.

"We had kids that had to go to the McDonald's parking lot just to do their homework," she said at the time.

Despite Thompson Rehder's crushing upbringing, she managed to attain her GED and eventually graduated with a bachelor's degree in mass communications from Southeast Missouri State University. She attained her degree over 17 years while working full time. According to the bio on her Senate website, Thompson Rehder started working in cable television at 19 years old, and progressed from the mail room to the director of government affairs over 14 years at the company. In 2004, Thompson Rehder co-founded a cable telecommunications contracting company, Integrity Communications, with her then-husband.

In her interview with B Magazine, Thompson Rehder said, "There are so many people who have grown up like me, and I want them to know, you can make it out. We live in America, and we have opportunity. If you don't allow what has gone wrong to make you bitter, if you don't allow that to be your thought, you can move forward. Your past doesn't define you. We are blessed. And if you move forward with all the things you can do, God opens doors for you. But if you hold onto the bitterness of what you didn't get or what you didn't have, then it holds you back from moving forward."

Thompson Rehder is in a position to run for the statewide office after winning several races throughout her career. Her closest race was against Kathy Swan in the 2020 senate primary, a race in which Rehder won by just 141 votes and captured broader statewide interest.

The lieutenant governor position in Missouri is responsible for presiding over the Senate and voting in the event of a tie, and to serve as governor when the governor is unable to govern. The lieutenant governor also is required by statute to serve on several boards and commissions.

Mike Kehoe is the current lieutenant governor. He's announced his candidacy for governor.