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Blue Springs, MO —
State Rep. Sheila Solon on Tuesday fended off a challenge from Blue Springs City Council Member Chris Lievsay in Tuesday’s Republican primary in the 31st District in the Missouri House of Representatives.
Solon will face Democrat Dale Walkup, president of the Blue Springs Board of Education, in the Nov. 6 general election. Walkup defeated Syed Asif of Lake Lotawana in the Democratic primary.
“I think people think I did a good job,” Solon said Tuesday night.
She got 60.68 percent of the vote (1,881 votes) to 39.32 percent (1,219) for Lievsay.
Solon was first elected to the House in 2010 in what was the 55th District. Following the 2010 census, that’s been redrawn. The new 31st District takes in the area of Blue Springs in the area south of I-70 and west of Missouri 7 (plus some neighborhoods east of M-7) as well as the Fleming Park area.
Solon said she takes nothing for granted and campaigned hard – and will through November running against Walkup – and that what she’s heard going to door to door is mainly a concern about the economy.
“I think people are very much worried about the economy and it’s going to be a great Republican year,” she said.
Lievsay said he was disappointed at the outcome of the primary.
“We obviously didn’t have the result we were hoping for,” he said. “It just was not enough in the end.”
Lievsay said his message during the campaign was the same as when he ran for the City Council, bringing conservative principles and values to Jefferson City.
“That has always been my message, protecting conservative values,” he said. “I think it is important for people to be involved, which is one of the main reasons I ran for election. I have not spoken with Sheila (Solon) or Dale (Walkup) about where they stand, but I am obviously a Republican, so that is where I will show my support.”
Walkup won the Democratic primary handily with 782 votes (77.04 percent). Asif received 233 votes (22.96 percent).
A longtime member of the Board of Education, Walkup is a small business owner in the Blue Springs community. He said he is looking forward to taking his campaign to the next step.
“I course we are tickled with the outcome,” he said. “This gives us the opportunity to bring true representation to Jefferson City.”
Walkup said he wanted to run in the 31st District because he has been disappointed in the representation it is currently getting. He said his main issue is to “protect the district” with regard to proposals in the House to would give vouchers to students in the unaccredited Kansas City School District. This would allow students to come to Blue Springs and other Eastern Jackson County school districts.
“Busing the kids out here would be bad for our culture and horrible for our property values,” he said. “People always gripe about what is happening, so I decided to stop griping and take action.”
State Rep. Sheila Solon on Tuesday fended off a challenge from Blue Springs City Council Member Chris Lievsay in Tuesday’s Republican primary in the 31st District in the Missouri House of Representatives.
Solon will face Democrat Dale Walkup, president of the Blue Springs Board of Education, in the Nov. 6 general election. Walkup defeated Syed Asif of Lake Lotawana in the Democratic primary.
“I think people think I did a good job,” Solon said Tuesday night.
She got 60.68 percent of the vote (1,881 votes) to 39.32 percent (1,219) for Lievsay.
Solon was first elected to the House in 2010 in what was the 55th District. Following the 2010 census, that’s been redrawn. The new 31st District takes in the area of Blue Springs in the area south of I-70 and west of Missouri 7 (plus some neighborhoods east of M-7) as well as the Fleming Park area.
Solon said she takes nothing for granted and campaigned hard – and will through November running against Walkup – and that what she’s heard going to door to door is mainly a concern about the economy.
“I think people are very much worried about the economy and it’s going to be a great Republican year,” she said.
Lievsay said he was disappointed at the outcome of the primary.
“We obviously didn’t have the result we were hoping for,” he said. “It just was not enough in the end.”
Lievsay said his message during the campaign was the same as when he ran for the City Council, bringing conservative principles and values to Jefferson City.
“That has always been my message, protecting conservative values,” he said. “I think it is important for people to be involved, which is one of the main reasons I ran for election. I have not spoken with Sheila (Solon) or Dale (Walkup) about where they stand, but I am obviously a Republican, so that is where I will show my support.”
Walkup won the Democratic primary handily with 782 votes (77.04 percent). Asif received 233 votes (22.96 percent).
A longtime member of the Board of Education, Walkup is a small business owner in the Blue Springs community. He said he is looking forward to taking his campaign to the next step.
“I course we are tickled with the outcome,” he said. “This gives us the opportunity to bring true representation to Jefferson City.”
Walkup said he wanted to run in the 31st District because he has been disappointed in the representation it is currently getting. He said his main issue is to “protect the district” with regard to proposals in the House to would give vouchers to students in the unaccredited Kansas City School District. This would allow students to come to Blue Springs and other Eastern Jackson County school districts.
“Busing the kids out here would be bad for our culture and horrible for our property values,” he said. “People always gripe about what is happening, so I decided to stop griping and take action.”
