Two Republican candidates vying for the GOP nomination spoke in Springfield Tuesday at a meeting for the Greene County Republican Women's Club. The candidates — Eric Burlison and Mike Moon — are seeking a spot in U.S. Congress representing Missouri's 7th District.
On a map, this congressional district encompasses Southwest Missouri, including Springfield, Nixa, Republic, Ozark, Joplin and Branson.
The event, held at Golden Corral, brought in roughly 40 attendees, including Greene County Circuit Clerk and Missouri House District 137 candidate Tom Barr, Springfield Public Schools board member Steve Makoski, Greene County Commissioner Bob Dixon and Missouri’s 134th District Rep. Alex Riley, who is running for reelection.
Before Burlison and Moon had the opportunity to speak, attendees and club members took care of GCRW business, from approving the previous meeting’s minutes to introducing new initiatives. Following their discussion, GCRW President Jean Lee had each member of the audience introduce themselves before opening the floor to the candidates.
Despite Burlison and Moon’s opposition in the Republican primary, there was no debate amongst them. They both spoke about their time in Missouri’s General Assembly and how their principles, voting records and endorsements should earn voters’ support.
“I’m proud to say that, when you look at my voting record, the eight years that I was in the House and combine that with the four years in the Senate, I’m ranked, right now, as the most conservative member by groups the CPAC, I have a lifetime rating from Club for Growth of 100 percent, I have a lifetime rating with Americans for Prosperity at 100 percent,” Burlison said.
Burlison also made sure to note his involvement in crafting Missouri bills that protected constitutional carry — the unlicensed carrying of handguns in public — and stand-your-ground laws, as well as improvements to our Amber alerts systems.
Moon spoke on his aim to further restrict access to abortion pills, his support in the Missouri General Assembly to redistrict Missouri’s Congressional District to give the Republican party a 7-1 advantage compared to its current 6-2 edge, and his disapproval of transgender women from competing in women's sports.
“I’m not always right; I’m not perfect on a lot of things,” Moon said. “But look back at some of the things I’ve done. First, the [attempted] impeachment, not just once but twice against [former] Gov. Jay Nixon because he didn’t hold his Constitutional duties…I think we need to hold everyone accountable, whether they’re Democrat or Republican.”
Burlison and Moon will square off against each other and six other Republicans on August 2 for the primary election, with the winner moving on to face other primary victors in November’s general election. Keep following the Hauxeda’s campaign coverage to stay updated on various races in Southwest Missouri.
