Jeff Roorda announced today (Jan. 18) that he intends to file for a seat in the Missouri Senate.
Roorda, 56, of Arnold said he will seek the Republican Party’s nomination for the Senate seat currently held by Paul Wieland.
Wieland, a Republican, is prohibited from running for a third four-year term because of the state’s term limits standards.
Roorda served four non-consecutive terms from 2005-2011 and 2013-2015 as a Democrat in the House of Representatives and waged unsuccessful campaigns as a Democrat for a County Council seat (in 2016) and county executive (in 2018).
Wieland defeated Roorda for the Senate seat in the 2014 general election.
A written statement announcing his candidacy positions Roorda as a “social conservative” who “consistently maintained a strong pro-life, pro-gun, anti-tax voting record.”
Roorda currently works as the business manager for the Fraternal Order of Police in St. Louis and worked as a police officer in Jefferson County for 17 years, most recently as the police chief of Kimmswick.
“I am proud of my record of standing up for the values of Jefferson County in the Missouri House and during my years serving law enforcement in our region,” he said in the statement.
“I think we need more common-sense conservatives in the state Senate who will fight for our Constitution, say no to ‘The Squad’ and their socialist agenda, stand up for law and order, and make sure working Missourians are not held back by big government. That is why I am running for the Missouri Senate.”
He is a 1983 graduate of Windsor High School in Imperial. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Missouri Baptist University and a master’s degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
He and his wife, Nancy, have three adult daughters.
State Reps. Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R-Arnold) and Dan Shaul (R-Imperial) earlier announced their intentions to run for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat.
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 are in line to receive an $1,800 raise spread out over two years beginning in July.