Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer of St. Elizabeth is seeking his seventh consecutive two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives, but faces opposition in the Nov. 8 general election from Bethany Mann of Brentwood.
Mann defeated three other Democrats in the August primary, while Luetkemeyer defeated a trio of Republican challengers.
Luetkemeyer did not return a Leader candidate questionnaire.
After redistricting following the 2020 federal Census, District 3 covers western Jefferson County and includes much of east-central Missouri.
The pay for U.S. representative is $174,000 a year, plus allowances. The term is for two years.
MANN, 39, of Brentwood is a chemistry technology specialist for Metrohm USA, which provides instruments, research, development and education for various industries. A native of Foristell, she and her husband, Carson, have two children with one on the way. She was homeschooled and earned an associate degree in pre-pharmacy in 2008 from Lincoln Land Community College and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 2010 from the University of Illinois-Springfield.
Website: bethanymannforcongress.com
What experience do you have (elected office, civic organizations, volunteer work, etc.) that might serve you well in this position?
Mann: I started my career as an intern at the Environmental Protection Agency, testing water, soil and air samples for heavy metal contaminants. I have spent the past 12 years traveling around to laboratories across the U.S. and Canada, solving complex problems using chemistry and technology in ways that make sense to people with all levels of education. As a working mom, I can speak to kitchen-table economic issues that impact Missouri families.
What specific needs exist in your district, and how would you address them?
Mann: Education, infrastructure and health care problems lead to inflation. Instead of properly funding or fighting for Missouri’s fair share of resources, elected officials reallocate funding to pet projects, leaving working families to fend for themselves. Students deserve fully and equitably funded public education, pre-kindergarten through high school. Advancements in infrastructure, like roads, bridges, dams, railways, broadband internet and clean waterways secure our supply chain, save consumers from rising energy costs, expensive car repairs and increased cost of goods and services. Passing Medicare for All would lower health care costs and eliminate the tie between employment and access to affordable health care.
According to recent polls, the majority of Americans want stricter gun laws. Do you support gun law reforms, and if so what changes do you support? For example, do you support raising age limits to buy guns, more stringent background checks, requiring waiting periods when buying guns, prohibiting types of guns, ammunition clips or ammunition?
Mann: I support the Second Amendment. As a mom and a conservationist, I support reasonable and common-sense gun laws including red flag laws, longer waiting periods to obtain firearms and requiring liability insurance with background checks on certain types of weapons purchases. I support an assault-weapons ban and fully funding research studies to help us figure out why these senseless mass shootings continue to occur with alarming frequency in America. We should also meaningfully deal with the issue of domestic terrorism and find ways to keep Americans from being radicalized by targeted online recruitment.
A majority of voters, both in Missouri and nationwide, say they favor abortion rights in some instances. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, what changes should the federal government enact, if any, concerning abortion rights?
Mann: Abortion is health care. Access to health care saves lives. Americans should not wait for their doctor to consult administrators and lawyers before receiving treatment to save their lives because an overreaching government dictates which life is worthy of saving. Failure to expand Medicaid, along with corporate consolidation of medical centers, caused rural hospitals across the state to close, so now many people drive hours for basic health care, leading to high maternal mortality rates. I support the Women’s Health Protection Act, ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment, passing the ProAct and expanding access to virtual and telehealth services.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Mann: My background in common-sense problem solving by listening and learning from the people around me, combined with my experience in agriculture, manufacturing and business make me uniquely qualified to represent this district, whose needs have been ignored. My goal is to make Missouri a leader when it comes to important issues that build up the middle class and strengthen families. This starts with investing in American labor, expanding education, advancing infrastructure, reforming health care and protecting our environment.