Missouri House Race Spotlight - 91st District

Missouri's 91st House district has been a political battleground for the past two election cycles and, if form holds, it will be hotly contested again in 2010.

The 91st contains a slice of east central St. Louis County.  The district takes in most of the suburban towns of Webster Groves, Shrewsbury, Glendale, and Oakland.  The bulk of the district's population is located in  affluent Webster Groves, a growing suburban town of over 23,000 at the last census.  Webster Groves has long been a destination for wealthy families wanting to escape the crime and noise of inner city St. Louis.  Family Circle magazine recently named Webster Groves one of the top 10 cities in America for families.  Shrewsbury, bordering St. Louis City, has seen growth in recent years as well.

This part of St. Louis County is located right at the border between heavily Republican suburban St. Louis County and overwhelmingly Democratic St. Louis City, making it a prime political battleground.  Webster Groves, with its core of affluent young families, has long been Republican, but today many of the wealthiest St. Louisians are moving even farther out into St. Louis County.  In 2006, the 91st re-elected Republican Rep. Kathlyn Fares by a slim 50.7%-49.3% margin.  In 2008, when Fares was barred from running for re-election by term limits, Democrat Jeanne Kirkton won the open seat 51%-49% over Republican Randy Jotte.

Prior to her election to the House, Kirkton had long been active in civic affairs in Webster Groves and had been elected to the Webster Groves City Council in 2006.  Kirkton champions many traditionally liberal causes, including gun restrictions, promotion of the environment, and government-funded health care.  Recently, Kirkton was featured in a Governing Magazine article about the increasingly Democratic nature of many of America's suburbs.

The Republican nominee in the 91st is Glendale Mayor Rich Magee.  Magee, an attorney, has been active in Glendale politics since 1995, serving as an Alderman for 10 years prior to his election as mayor in 2005. Magee's campaign is focusing on economic issues such as job creation and fairness in real estate taxation.

The competitiveness of the 91st, coupled with the heightened Republican voting enthusiasm this year, make Kirkton one of the most vulnerable Missouri House incumbents this year.  Magee is an experienced candidate who seems to have all the attributes necessary to return this district to the Republican column.