John McCaherty of High Ridge faces a challenge as the Republican tries to win re-election to his fourth and final term representing District 97 in the Missouri House of Representatives.
Facing him on the Nov. 8 general election ballot will be Libertarian Tracy J. Scott, also of High Ridge.
Scott did not return a Leader candidate questionnaire.
McCaherty cannot run for a fifth consecutive House term because of the state’s term limit laws that limit representatives to eight years in the House and eight years in the Senate.
District 97 covers parts of north and northwest Jefferson County as well as portions of Oakville in south St. Louis County.
State representatives serve two-year terms. The pay is $35,915 per year, a weekly allowance for miles traveled going to and returning from meetings, and expenses for each day the General Assembly is in session.
McCAHERTY, 51, lives at 4202 Wilderness Lane, High Ridge. He and his wife, Chris, have two children and four grandchildren. He was the pastor at the First Baptist Church of Murphy for 12 years and was a pastor at Unity (Ill.) Baptist Church for 10 years before that. He previously sales and management. He has a master’s degree from Liberty University and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
Social media: Website: Johnmccaherty.com Facebook: John McCaherty for State Representative Twitter: @Jmccaherty
What role, if any, should the General Assembly take on regulating abortion?
McCaherty: Missouri has many laws already in place to protect life, I am pro-life and will continue to support issues that protect life. I do not know of any current legislation that is needed, or being worked on, to further the current laws already in place.
What should be done to address partisan nastiness in the Legislature?
McCaherty: There are extremes on both sides of many issues. In the Legislature, there has to be a way to work on the things that are good for Missouri. There are plenty of issues that both sides can agree on. One of the problems we have in Missouri is getting people to the table to talk about those issues and coming up with a workable solution.
What programs or services should be cut to balance the state budget?
McCaherty: Constitutionally, Missouri has to operate on a balanced budget. One thing that would help obviously is to work on economic development. If, and only if, something needed to be cut, it should start with the governor’s office and work its way down. Too many times, when tough times come we see cuts from seniors and education first; this should not happen.
Explain your position on Medicaid expansion.
McCaherty: Opposed. We have seen other states expand Medicaid and fall into trouble. While there may be a way for more people to access what Missouri has, an all-out expansion of Medicaid is not the answer.
Should the General Assembly impose limits on donations to political campaigns? What changes would you advocate, if any?
McCaherty: Yes! However, the limits should be placed on all political campaigns, not just those for the General Assembly.
Do you support your party's nominee for president? Explain why or why not.
McCaherty: Yes, while there are some things I disagree with Mr. Trump about, there are more issues I disagree with Mrs. Clinton about. There are never any perfect candidates; they are all human. Looking for the perfect person would cause the presidency to remain empty.