State ballots fill up on filing deadline

With two open Missouri General Assembly seats in Vernon County, candidates' filing ended at 5 p.m., Tuesday, with three Republicans running in the 126th State Representative District and a Democrat and three Republicans seeking a four-year term in the 31st Senatorial District.

They are representative candidates Randy Pike of Adrian, Barbara York of east Vernon County, and Bill Yarberry of Milo, and Senate hopefuls Charles Burton, a Drexel Democrat, with Republicans Scott Largent of Clinton, Ed Emery of Lamar, and Dave Morris of Peculiar, who just beat the deadline Tuesday afternoon, the Missouri Secretary of State Web site reported.

Pike is the Bates County northern commissioner, York a trucking company co-owner and Yarberry a farmer. Burton filed Tuesday morning in Jefferson City. Largent is a state representative and Emery a former state representative.

The party primaries will be on Aug. 7 and the general election Nov. 6. Representatives serve two-year terms.

State Rep. Barney Fisher, R-Horton, is being term-limited after this year as statewide redistricting changes the number of his Vernon-Bates county district from the 125th to the 126th. Formerly including all of Vernon and the western half of Bates, the district was expanded to encompass all but the northern sliver of Bates along with Vernon.

State Sen. David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, is being reassigned to the 21st District while his old seat is left open in the realigned 31st in Barton, Bates, Cass, Henry, St. Clair and Vernon counties.

Seeking a second two-year term, U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, is opposed by Sunrise Beach Republican Bernie Mowinski, who filed Tuesday, Raymore Democrat Teresa Hensley, Libertarians Herschel Young of Harrisonville and Thomas Holbrook of Warrensburg and Constitution Party candidate Greg Cowan of Lebanon.

Hensley is the Cass County prosecuting attorney.