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The state’s Republican Party may feel it has an opportunity in November to capture a district that has been in Democratic hands for some time.

Under the state’s term limits standards, the incumbent District 118 representative, Ben Harris of the Hillsboro area, cannot run for a fifth two-year term.

Before Harris won his first term in 2010, his mother, Belinda Harris, represented the area in the state House for eight years.

Republican voters will go to the polls on Aug. 7 to choose one of three candidates who are seeking to flip the affiliation of the District 118 seat – Mike McGirl, who lost to Ben Harris by about 400 votes in the November 2014 general election, Kyle Bone and Chuck Hoskins.

Hoskins did not return a Leader candidate questionnaire.

The winner will take on the winner of the Democratic primary, either Brian Ridenour or Barbara Marco, in November.

District 118 includes parts of central and southwestern Jefferson County and northeastern and central Washington County.

State senators and representatives receive a $35,915 annual salary plus mileage and $113 per day in expenses for each day the General Assembly is in session.

McGIRL, 65, lists his address as P.O. Box 425, Potosi. He and his wife, Diane, have three children. He is a self-employed certified public accountant. A 1971 graduate of Potosi High School, he attended Mineral Area College and the College of the Ozarks. He has been a member of the Rotary since 1988 and is a member of the chambers of commerce for Potosi, De Soto and Hillsboro. He served as the Washington County collector of revenue from 1991-2015.

Social media: Facebook: McGirl for State Rep

BONE, 44, lives at 946 Stone Gate Drive, De Soto. He and his wife, Jenny, have three children. He works for the Boeing Co. and served in the U.S. Navy for four years. A Farmington High School graduate, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in history from Columbia College and a photography degree from Academy of Art University. He is a youth baseball coach and is involved with De Soto Baptist Church. He formerly was a trustee for Parkway Baptist Church and also was a volunteer at Norfolk First Baptist Church.

Social media: Website: ElectKyle2018.com. Twitter: @ElectKyleBone Facebook: Kyle Bone for State Representative.

How will you vote on Proposition A and why?

McGirl: Being a small business owner for three decades and a union worker for a decade, I have seen both sides of this issue, so that is why I will vote no and stand with working families.

Bone: I will vote yes on Proposition A. A person has the right to enter into an employment agreement with a company or another person regardless of what others have agreed to. I am a strong advocate of personal freedom. An individual should not be forced to pay dues to an organization if they do not agree to join that organization. They should also not have to join that organization as a condition of employment. I also believe that a person should have the right to unionize and join whatever union they choose.

What are your thoughts on how to protect insurance coverage for Missourians who have pre-existing conditions?

McGirl: Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies are required to cover people with pre-existing conditions.

Bone: Rather than overhaul our entire insurance market, we should have created a high-risk pool for those with pre-existing conditions, leaving other Missourians free to purchase whatever plan they choose. If we are free to choose, it will force insurance companies to compete for our business and prices will go down. The law of supply and demand dictates this. Obamacare (ACA) hurt every person in Missouri who purchased insurance while not really helping those it claimed to help. This was just a giveaway to insurance companies.

Higher education has been hit by funding cuts to balance Missouri government’s budget. In regard to Jefferson College, how would you address this?

McGirl: I will work with Jefferson College and my colleagues in Jefferson City to find the right balance of funding our higher education priorities while still balancing the budget without a tax increase. To grow our economy, Missouri must have an educated workforce. I will always prioritize helping our children receive a quality education and the opportunity to live the American dream.

Bone: I would look at alternatives for funding, but it is not a priority. We already make K-12 free. Jefferson College, Mineral Area College and all of the other community colleges should be able to operate with fees and tuition. We are already subsidizing them at a high-enough level. On a side note, if college students are required to pay for their own education to some extent, they will take ownership and work harder to attain a degree, rather than just go to classes for the sake of going to classes.

Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.

McGirl: I am a certified public accountant with more than 34 years of experience working with individuals and small businesses. I will use my knowledge, skills and experience to be a strong voice for the district in Jefferson City with the various issues facing us all, from education, jobs, taxes, regulations, protecting the sanctity of life and our Second Amendment.

Bone: Jobs, jobs, jobs! Economic development is my No. 1 priority. I want to make Missouri one of the most business-friendly states in the union. When jobs are plentiful, it solves many societal ills. I also want to help with the opioid crisis, protect and enhance Second Amendment rights, protect the unborn, enhance infrastructure and root out government corruption.

Voters in the Missouri House of Representatives’ District 118 will have an opportunity in November to do something they haven’t done for 16 years – choose a representative whose last name isn’t Harris.

The representative for the last eight years, Democrat Ben Harris of Hillsboro, was prevented from seeking a fifth two-year term under the state’s term limit standards. His predecessor, his mother, Belinda Harris, served the same area for the eight preceding years.

Five candidates are seeking to succeed the Harrises – two Democrats and three Republicans.

In the Aug. 7 primary election, Democratic voters will decide whether Brian Ridenour or Barbara Marco will advance to face the winner of the GOP’s primary – Mike McGirl, Kyle Bone or Chuck Hoskins.

District 118 includes parts of central and southwestern Jefferson County and northeastern and central Washington County.

State senators and representatives receive a $35,915 annual salary plus mileage and $113 per day in expenses for each day the General Assembly is in session.

RIDENOUR, 47, lives at 10813 Lodge Stone Lane, Potosi. He is an operator and laborer for KAB Homes. He is a graduate of Grandview High School and Jefferson College. He has been vice president of the Washington County Farm Bureau since 2015. He is a past president of the Washington County Democratic Club.

Social media: Facebook: Brian Ridenour for Missouri 118th District.

MARCO, 65, lives at 12537 Peter Moore Lane, De Soto. She has two children and five grandchildren. She works in landscape design and installation for Marco Builders and Landscape. She was a computer programmer and analyst who started Marco Data Service and Windy Hill Nursery. She received an associate degree in data processing from St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley and a horticulture certificate from St. Louis Community College-Meramec. She is a member of the De Soto Lions, a charter member of the Women Dems, a member of NW Jeffco Mo PAC, member of Washington County Democrats and a volunteer with De Soto Citizens for Flood Relief. She was on the board of the University of Missouri Extension, was a volunteer at Jefferson Memorial Hospital and was the president of Business and Professional Women in 1984.

Social media: Website: MarcoForMissouri.com Facebook: Marco For Missouri

How will you vote on Proposition A and why?

Ridenour: No. How would they expect a family of four to survive on minimum wage? With the prevailing wages, they would have a fair chance.

Marco: If legislators really wanted to make America great again, they would support unions. Fifty years ago, one-third of the work force was unionized. Today, it’s less than 7 percent. As union strength declined, the middle class declined right along with it. The little guy lost his voice. Big business now controls legislators with donations and dark money. Workers in right-to-work states are paid 12.2 percent less, are less likely to have health insurance, have a higher poverty rate, higher infant mortality rate and higher workplace fatality rate.

What are your thoughts on how to protect insurance coverage for Missourians who have pre-existing conditions?

Ridenour: I support this and there are laws protecting Missourians with pre-existing conditions. As a legislator, I will continue to protect these laws for the people and for the future.

Marco: I support Medicare for all, which would be funded with taxes and privately delivered by doctors. America is 28th in the world in life expectancy, 17th in the world in quality of care and spends roughly twice as much. More people work in billing than the number of beds in a hospital. No other country does this. Studies show that America can cover everyone and cut premiums in half, with no restrictions on pre-existing conditions. We have to control Big Pharma greed and lobbyist-owned legislators.

Higher education has been hit by funding cuts to balance Missouri government’s budget. In regard to Jefferson College, how would you address this?

Ridenour: I support junior colleges and will continue to support high school children to choose junior colleges for their higher education.

Marco: The Legislature just cut corporate taxes from 6.25 percent to 4 percent, starting in 2020. With such severe cuts, education and Missouri’s future will suffer. I will sponsor a bill to repeal the corporate tax cuts so that Jefferson College will not have to lay off more teachers, raise tuition and close the pool. Corporations are setting record-high profits. They don’t need a stimulus. We cannot jeopardize our children’s future. This is greed. The shortage will end up coming out of working families’ pockets. Higher education grows our economy and benefits everyone.

Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected. (100-word limit.)

Ridenour: I’m not afraid to stand up for what is right. I will return calls and answer questions by maintaining an “open door” policy. I support pro-life, pro-gun, pro-labor, public schools, small businesses, strong family values, individual rights, states’ rights and property rights. I would protect the needs of seniors, disabled and veterans.

Marco: My goals as an elected official will be to:

■ Listen to and serve the voters.

■ Refuse all lobbyist gifts.

■ Support working families.

■ Treat all people with dignity and respect.

■ Work very hard to earn the trust of the voters.

■ Reach across the aisle.

■ Stick to the truth and facts.

■ Grow Missouri’s economy.

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