Missouri's 17th House district will be the site of the third consecutive matchup between two candidates who must be getting to be quite familiar with each other. The 17th is comprised of a large amount of the land area of St. Charles County. The district includes the northern portions of the cities of O'Fallon, St. Peters, and St. Charles as well as unincorporated areas in northern St. Charles County wrapping around to the Illinois border.
St. Charles County is the most affluent county in Missouri and O'Fallon, St. Peters, and St. Charles have filled up in recent years as young professionals have fled St. Louis City in groves. The political leanings of St. Charles County are Republican. Of the 7 Missouri house districts in St. Charles County, 6 are currently represented by Republicans. John McCain carried St. Charles County 54%-45% in 2008. However, Democrat Jay Nixon carried St. Charles County by a nearly identical margin in the Governor's race.
The 17th is split almost evenly between the parties. Republican Vicki Schneider, a small business owner from O'Fallon, won the district in 2002, 2004, and 2006 with 50%, 57%, and 51% of the vote. In 2006, Schneider faced St. Charles machinist Kenny Biermann. Schneider prevailed in that contest by less than 300 votes. In 2008, Biermann once again challenged Schneider. This time, the Democratic tide was strong enough that Biermann defeated Schneider by a whopping 73 votes out of over 21,000 cast.
2010 will be the rubber match between the two candidates. Biermann's miniscule margin of victory makes him a prime target for Missouri Republicans. Schneider certainly has the name recognition in the district that is necessary for a win in November. If 2010 pans out to be a solid GOP year in Missouri, it is quite likely that Schneider will reclaim her seat in the Missouri House.
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