Missouri Senate holds primaries among ongoing conflict between Senate Republicans

There were nine contested Republican primaries for the Missouri Senate on August 6, 2024. An incumbent ran in two of those primaries, and seven of those primaries were open, meaning an incumbent did not seek re-election in those districts.

Ballotpedia identified the Republican primaries in Districts 3, 15, 21, 23, and 27 as battleground primaries, all but two of which were for open seats. The Missouri Senate will have the most turnover since the state implemented term-limits in 2002. Of the nine members leaving the chamber this year, six are leaving due to term limits. Three of those six senators—Sen. Bill Eigel (R), Sen. Denny Hoskins (R), and Sen. Andrew Koenig (R)—are members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus. Of the two other members of the Senate who formally identified as Freedom Caucus members, Sen. Rick Brattin (R) advanced from the Republican primary in District 31, and Sen. Nick Schroer’s seat was not up for election.

The 2024 primaries took place in the context of a conflict among Senate Republicans over the future of the party. According to Jonathan Shorman and Kacen Bayless of The Kansas City Star, two groups of Republican senators “have grown more divided this session after senators announced the formation of the new Freedom Caucus with backing from the national States Freedom Caucus.” Several Senate Republicans who are not members of the Freedom Caucus criticized the group for their use of the filibuster after the Freedom Caucus filibustered approval of the chamber’s journal, a committee referral increasing threshold requirements for initiative petitions to qualify for the ballot, approval of a new congressional map, and the state’s budget.

Following the Caucus’ January filibuster of a bill that increased requirements for initiative petitions to qualify for the ballot, President Pro Tempore Caleb Rowden (R) stripped four Republican senators who identified with the Freedom Caucus of their committee chairmanships. In explaining why he stripped caucus members of their chairmanships, Rowden criticized the caucus’ filibuster efforts and said they made it too hard for the Senate to pass legislation. Rowden said, “They [filibustered] repeatedly, day after day for two weeks, basically…It became necessary for us to do something that would indicate that we’re not going to let four guys run the place; it’s just not how this works.”

Several members of the Freedom Caucus, including Sen. Bill Eigel (R) said Republicans outside of the freedom caucus, including Rowden, opposed the caucus because he believed they tried to preserve power. Eigel said, “It’s never been about policy for them. It’s been about individuals trying to preserve power at the expense of what we believe are the issues that Republicans sent us to Jefferson City for.”

Missouri is one of 23 states with a Republican trifecta. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe a single-party government where one political party holds the governor’s office and a majority in both chambers of the state legislature.

The Missouri State Senate is one of 85 state legislative chambers holding elections in 2024. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.