Incumbent Elaine Gannon has opted not to seek a second four-year term as state senator for District 3. Republicans Mike Henderson of Desloge, who currently serves as state representative for District 117 in St. Francois County, and Cyndi Buchheit-Courtway of Festus, who currently serves as state representative of District 115, which covers part of Festus, Hillsboro, De Soto, Valles Mines and Dittmer, will face off in the Republican primary.
Democrat Doug Halbert of Hematite will run unopposed in the primary, and in November, he will take on the winner of the Republican primary.
District 3 includes the southern half of Jefferson County, plus Crawford, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve and Washington counties.
A state senator makes $39,264. The term is for four years.
Henderson, 64, of Desloge is currently the speaker pro tem of the Missouri House of Representatives. He was a teacher, coach and later a school administrator for 31 years in the North St. Francois County School District. He and his wife Cheri have two children and one grandson. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Murray State University and master’s and specialist degrees from Southeast Missouri State University.
Mike Henderson
Buchheit-Courtway, 48, of Festus is the state representative for District 115. She works for Mercy Hospital Jefferson as a health information specialist and at Enterprise Bank and Trust as a teller. She and her husband David have five children and 17 grandchildren. She graduated from St. Vincent de Paul High School in Perryville in 1994 and Jefferson College in 2018.
Cyndi Buchheit-Courtway
What experience do you have that might serve you well in this position?
Henderson: I am a proven conservative, and I know what it takes to pass conservative legislation. As speaker pro tem, I helped our Republican caucus make real progress on conservative issues, and I am tired of seeing so many good bills just go to the Senate to die. We need real conservatives who will work hard to make a measurable difference for the people of Missouri.
Buchheit-Courtway: I am currently the state representative for District 115 and have been serving 37,000 people for four years now. I belong to several organizations/clubs including the Twin City Optimist Club, 67 Gun Club, several partisan clubs, the Festus-Crystal City Conservation Club, I’m the president of the Women’s Legislators of Missouri, and I was a Sunday school teacher and AWANA’s leader for 10 years. I enjoy working with and for the people.
What specific needs exist in your district, and how would you address them?
Henderson: I know that Bidenflation is what is on the top of most families’ minds right now. Everything at the grocery store costs more, while families have less money in their pockets to pay for it. We need to focus on lowering the burden government places on families and small businesses, and for that reason I will keep fighting for lower taxes and smaller government.
Buchheit-Courtway: Economic, infrastructure and broadband development. Serving as chair of Transportation Infrastructure, vice chair of Broadband Development, and serving on the Rural Community Development Committees has given me the opportunity to work on securing resources for all of these areas. I worked to secure $25 million for our port development, $12 million for road infrastructure to bring jobs, and $1 million for the Amtrak depot in De Soto. I will continue promoting the improvement of our interstate highways, providing safe and efficient travel, across the entire district, including the much-needed Hwy. 21 expansion that stopped years ago.
According to many state legislators, the latest session wasn’t as productive as they would have liked with a near record-low number of bills passed. What do you think needs to be changed to address the problem?
Henderson: Quite frankly, I think the Senate needs an attitude change. I know that we’re not going to be able to pass the conservative legislation we need if we keep electing people who are just there to run for higher office and, as a result, are more focused on generating the perfect sound bite for radio or TV than they are on the needs of their district. I have proven that I know how to pass conservative legislation, and I am a hard worker.
Buchheit-Courtway: Leadership. At the beginning of this term, leadership in the House changed the process of how bills were assigned and moved through committees. As a chair, we were only allowed to send two bills out of committee to move on through the process. This led to omnibus bills, and in turn ensured that very few bills made it on to the floor, or out of the House. Also, the Senate spent valuable time attacking each other, filibustered the last two weeks of session, and went home before session ended. Many good pieces of legislation died as a result.
State legislation recently was passed that raises the minimum teacher salary to $40,000, with no state funding mechanism attached. Do you think the state provides enough funding for education and why?
Henderson: As a former educator, I know that there are districts like the ones in our area that use funding efficiently and effectively, while there are other districts – primarily in St. Louis and Kansas City – that keep putting money into bureaucracy instead of into the classroom. I will always fight to make sure our local schools have what they need to meet educational needs.
Buchheit-Courtway: It’s important to remember that this is the minimum pay. I have always been proud to support our teachers and staff. I was very pleased that we raised the minimum pay, and this should really help in rural communities. Can we do things better? Of course. But I also support local control. And that is where our local tax dollars step in and the local school boards determine specific salary rates but they must be above the minimum.
State legislators have proposed bills aimed at making it harder to amend the state constitution through an initiative petition. Do you support these efforts and why?
Henderson: I have sponsored legislation to reform the initiative process, and I do support this legislation. Under the current system, special interest groups can game the system, putting misleading language on the ballot that can allow them to put harmful language into the state constitution simply by running up the numbers in Kansas City and St. Louis, rather than focusing on measures that have a broad base of support throughout the state.
Buchheit-Courtway: The US constitution takes a 2/3rd vote to amend. I feel that if the vote necessary to change the state constitution by citizen vote is increased, this same standard should apply when the legislature votes to put forth amendments to the constitution. The elections committee allowed amendments to the I.P. bill passed in the Senate, which allowed the “ballot candy.” The Senate refused to accept the amended bill. House leadership would not budge from their stance. The Senate adjourned early, House leadership refused to pick the legislation back up and remove the language, and unfortunately, this legislation did not survive.
Why should voters elect you to this position?
Henderson: I am a proven conservative and a Trump Republican who knows how to get things done. I am honored to be endorsed by Missouri Right to Life, and I am proud to be rated A by the NRA-PVF because of my strong record on the Second Amendment. If elected, I will work hard to defend our conservative values, fight for smaller government, and work to make sure our economy thrives.
Buchheit-Courtway: In the last four years, I have given my heart and soul to serve the people of District 115, as well as all of Jefferson County. I listen to both sides of every issue and reach out to experts in the field to make sure I understand the meaning of all legislation. I truly have the people of my district in mind when I vote on legislation. I have vowed to continue the fight in Jefferson City if I am blessed to be elected once again. I have the heart and energy to fight for our voices to be heard.
