State representatives David Casteel and Renee Reuter have each announced they will run for the District 22 state Senate seat in 2026. Current District 22 state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, who was elected in 2022, announced on March 25 that she would not seek reelection.
In addition, David Robertson of High Ridge, who has not held an elected position, has announced his intention to run for the state Senate seat.
District 22 takes in roughly the northern half of Jefferson County.
Candidates for the August 2026 primary election may begin filing to run on Feb. 24, 2026. The last day to file will be March 31, 2026, according to the Jefferson County Election Authority Office.
Casteel, Reuter and Robertson are all registered as Republicans, according to filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Coleman is also a Republican.
Casteel
Since 2022, Casteel, 41, of High Ridge has been the state representative for District 97, which covers northwest Jefferson County, and he currently is serving his second two-year term after being reelected in 2024.
“I think there is a position (in the Missouri Senate) to be filled with a local candidate such as myself,” Casteel said. “I have been very active in the House. I was appointed chairman of the commerce committee, thanks to my experience in business. I do run two businesses, and both continue to grow year after year. That experience lends nicely to the legislative role.”
Casteel is the president at C and C Seamless Guttering, the managing partner of the Emrie Group Real Estate and co-founder of GutterPros. He earned a GED from the Missouri Challengers Program in 2004.
Casteel said he believes his experience makes him a good candidate for the state Senate seat.
“I have a lot of relationships established on the Senate side,” he said. “I have a lot of support from the Senate to come over, and I think they would look forward to working with me.”
Reuter
Also since 2022, Reuter, 55, of Imperial has been the state representative for District 112, which covers northern Jefferson County, and she currently is serving her second two-year term after being reelected in 2024.
“I think it is natural progression for where I am at now, and I think I can do a lot of good as a senator,” Reuter said. “I would never have run against Mary Elizabeth Coleman. I do support her. If she is not going to be in that seat, why not me?”
Reuter is an attorney and serves as senior intellectual property counsel at the Armstrong Teasdale law firm. She attended Jefferson College from 1987-1988, earned an associate degree in history from Pikes Peak Community College in 1993, a bachelor’s degree in American history and political science from Colorado College in 1995, and a law degree from St. Louis University School of Law in 2002.
Before serving in the Legislature, Reuter served for 12 years on the Jefferson County Council. She was the first chairwoman of the seven-member council and served as either chair or vice chair for seven of her 12 years on the council.
“I’m excited to be on the campaign trail again, and I’m looking forward to meeting as many folks as I can,” Reuter said. “This is a much bigger district than my House district. It encompasses both the County Council district I served in before and the House district that I serve in now and some additional areas. I am looking forward to meeting new people and serving a bigger swatch of Jefferson County.”
Robertson
Robertson, 51, said he is a retired physics and math professor and taught at Principia College in Elsah, Ill.
While he has not held an elected position, Robertson said he worked for former Gov. Eric Greitens’ campaign in 2016 and for Bill Eigel’s gubernatorial campaign in 2024.
Robertson said he has worked for Turning Point Action, which, according to its website, is a nonprofit organization that supports conservative candidates and helps register voters. He also said he created and manages the “We the People of Missouri” email distribution list, which advertises and supports patriotic events and rallies across Missouri.
“I have been involved (in politics) at a grassroots level,” he said.
Robertson said he decided to seek state office because he is frustrated with elected officials he believes are not upholding the Constitution and are being influenced by special interest groups and lobbyists.
Robertson said he started his campaign after registering his committee, Robertson for Missouri, on Feb. 5 with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
In a written statement, Robertson said he is “motivated out of a desire to restore limited, conservative, constitutional government to Missouri and out of frustration with state politicians who don’t understand our system of government or, worse yet, sell out the rights of Missourians to special interests while pretending to be conservatives.
“I will continue to fight to earn the votes of the people of Jefferson County and represent them as their next conservative senator in the Missouri General Assembly.”
Coleman
Coleman’s term in the state Senate ends in early January 2027.
“It became abundantly clear to me that in time for people to put together a full race, they were going to need time to fundraise,” Coleman said on the “This Week in Missouri Politics” show on YouTube. “I couldn’t in good conscience continue doing any fundraising since I already decided I’m not going to run for reelection.”
Coleman also said she started informing people of her decision over the spring break. She said she was retiring but did not indicate what she planned to do after her term ends.
She did emphasize that she would complete her term.
“I made a commitment to Jefferson County,” she said. “Jefferson County is home. My kids are the ninth generation in Jefferson County. You’ll still see me at fish fries in the area and doing town halls. We’re going to finish strong.”
Coleman’s announcement comes after she lost the Republican Party primary for secretary of state in August. Before entering that primary race, she initially sought a seat in Congress representing Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District.
Coleman served as a state representative from 2019 to 2023, and she was an Arnold city councilwoman from 2013 to 2015.
“It is a real honor to do one of these jobs,” she said on “This Week in Missouri Politics.” “I served four years in the House. I think eight years is a good amount of time to dedicate to public service. I am happy to kind of be moving on to other things.”
Coleman has been a vocal opponent of abortion during her time in Jefferson City. In 2022, she proposed amendments to numerous House bills that would have allowed Missouri residents to sue those who help people seek abortions. The proposals did not advance.
She also filed a bill this year that would make food exempt from state sales tax and completely remove local sales tax imposed on food by January 2030. The bill also would authorize a sales tax exemption for diapers. Similar bills removing sales tax from food and diapers have been filed since 2022.
Also this year, Coleman filed a bill that seeks to ban materials deemed explicit from digital libraries and hold library boards responsible for the content made available to minors.
Since 2003, libraries have been responsible for blocking access to pornographic content on their computers and internet terminals.
Coleman has filed another bill seeking to name highways after President Donald Trump. The bill says any portion of a highway in the state highway system that is not located in Boone, Jackson and St. Louis counties, or in the city of St. Louis, not otherwise designated prior to Aug. 29, 2025, to be named “Donald J Trump Highway.” The bill says costs to name sections of the highway system will be paid by private donations.
Coleman drew attention last year when her husband, Christopher J. Coleman, purchased a home in St. Louis’ Central West End. Property records show a trust, owned by Christopher J. Coleman, purchased the house for $1.9 million in June 2024.
Jefferson County property tax records show Coleman and her husband sold their home in the Arnold area in 2024. However, Coleman has said she still lives in Jefferson County.