State Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman wants to be known in two years as state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman.
Coleman announced on Monday her intentions to run for a seat in the state Senate in the 2022 election.
Presumably, Coleman (R-Arnold) would run for her party’s nomination in August for the 22nd District seat currently held by Paul Wieland, who is not allowed to run for a third four-year term because of the state’s term limits standards.
However, because of redistricting mandated after the 2020 Census results are released, Coleman said she’s formally only announced a Senate run.
“I’d bet I’m going to end up living in that (now 22nd) district, but we don’t know at this point,” she said.
The current 22nd District takes in northern and central Jefferson County, as far south as the cities of Festus and Crystal City to the east, to north of Hillsboro and as far south as Cedar Hill to the west.
Coleman, 39, ran unopposed in November for her second two-year term in the House.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve as a state legislator,” she said of her reason to announce a Senate campaign. “We need principled conservatives. At the state level, we will be the last defense against government overreach, and that will be more important under the Biden administration.”
Coleman said she doesn’t feel she’s rushing the gun on an announcement; she was sworn into her second term in the House last month.
“This is a big race, it’s a big district,” she said. “It takes a lot of time and energy to talk with and listen to all the constituents.”
Coleman said she expects she won’t be the last to declare for a Senate seat to represent Jefferson County.
“I would expect a crowded race,” she said.
Four of the other five state representatives who represent parts of Jefferson County – Rob Vescovo (R-Arnold), Dan Shaul (R-Imperial), Becky Ruth (R-Festus) and Shane Roden (R-Cedar Hill) – are all in their fourth terms and cannot run for re-election in 2022.
The sixth, Cyndi Buchheit-Courtway (R-Festus), was sworn in to her first term last month.
Coleman has gained some notoriety over the last month by filing a bill to rename the part of I-55 that goes through Arnold after former President Donald Trump.
She said she didn’t propose that legislation to position herself to win voters who consider themselves part of Trump’s base.
“No, that wasn’t the reason,” she said. “It’s really standard procedure to name roads for past presidents. It’s not about trying to further the divide. He did a tremendous amount for the conservative movement.”
Coleman said she would like to see more focus on other legislation she’s championing, including proposals to improve day care and foster care.
“I’ve done a lot of work on child welfare,” she said.
Coleman said if she is elected to the Senate, she would continue to focus on education, Second Amendment protection and pro-life stances.
“Despite what is done in Washington, we’ve seen that states have a big say in what happens,” she said.
Coleman said there has been a significant reduction in the number of abortions in Missouri over the past few years, which she says is an example of the influence state legislators can have.
“That shows that what people want to be done in their states makes a difference,” she said.
Coleman and her husband, Christopher, have six children. She had been a stay-at-home mother after working as an estate planning attorney and as chief executive officer of the TuckerAllen law firm. She represented Ward 2 on the Arnold City Council from 2013-2015.
State senators and representatives currently receive a $35,915 annual salary plus mileage and $115 per day in expenses for each day the General Assembly is in session, but they are in line to receive an $1,800 raise spread out over two years beginning in July.