Michelle Hughes has won the race for Jefferson County Division 15 associate circuit judge, beating Charlie Argana and Antonio “Tony” Manansala in the Aug. 4 Republican primary.
Because no Democrats filed for the seat, she will be unopposed in the Nov. 3 general election.
According to official results reported by the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office, Hughes won the race with 9,140 votes (36.94 percent of the total vote) to Argana’s 8,160 votes and Manansala’s 7,443 votes.
Hughes, 46, of High Ridge has practiced law for 21 years and is a member of the Jefferson County Bar Association.
Hughes has served as the association’s past vice president and president.
She said she is excited to start this new position.
“I’m pretty excited about it, it was an interesting experience for me,” she said. “I had never been through this type of campaign before. I have helped some of my friends who were campaigning in the past, but I had not been a candidate at this level.”
“I am very grateful for the public putting their trust and faith in me,” she said.
“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for that, and I’m really excited to have this position in January.”
Associate circuit judges serve four-year terms and are paid approximately $167,833.
The spot has been held by Argana, who was appointed in January 2025 by former Gov. Mike Parson following Wes Yates’ retirement in late 2024.
Manansala, 67, of Cedar Hill is currently the Division 12 associate circuit judge, however he will be replaced with the recently elected candidate Renee Reuter in January.
“I ran on my experience, 11 years as judge in Jefferson County for Division 12,” he said.
“I ran for judge in Division 15 to give the voters a choice of experience, if they wanted my experience to serve the residents of Jefferson County.”
Manansala said he currently has no plans to run for any positions in the future.
He said he still will continue to use his law degree in some capacity.
Efforts to reach Argana, 33, of Festus for this story were unsuccessful.