Sen. Kevin Engler (R-Farmington) will replace Mike Gibbons, and ride herd in the Republican-run 95th Missouri Senate. Sen. Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles), who just won his first full term in the Senate, after winning a special election last year, will be the Majority Whip.
I think letting someone from a Democrat-leaning part of the state run the Senate is a shrewd idea. While Farmington and St. Francois County don’t always vote Democrat, it is surrounded by counties of similar demographics and socioeconomic standing that, more often than not, vote Democrat.
Engler will preside over vetoproof Senate. Jim Lembke defeated Joan Barry in the 1st, flipping the district from D to R. The 95th Senate will have 23 Republicans and 11 Democrats.
