Editor’s note (Aug. 2, 2024): This story has been updated to add an endorsement from the KC Biz PAC for Patty Lewis.
Missouri Senate District 7 became a vacant seat this year after former Sen. Greg Razer was appointed to the State Tax Commission. Now, two candidates are facing off on your Aug. 6 Missouri ballot to represent the seat.
The vacancy opened a door for a competitive Democratic primary in the Kansas City district, which stretches from the Missouri River south into Grandview and includes the Plaza area and parts of northeast Kansas City and downtown.
House Rep. Patty Lewis, a registered nurse, is running against Pat Contreras, a former diplomat who’s now a vice president at McCownGordon Construction.
They both are prioritizing health care and gun safety in their campaigns. The district leans heavily Democratic, meaning the winner of the race is almost certain to win in November. The sole Republican on the Missouri ballot is Joey LaSalle.
The Beacon compiled the candidates’ backgrounds and where they stand on the issues.
Rep. Patty Lewis looks to represent District 7 on the November Missouri ballot
Background
Rep. Patty Lewis is from Kansas City and has represented the 25th District in the Missouri House since 2021.
Before being elected to the House, Lewis had two decades of experience as an intensive care nurse. She is the only registered nurse in the Missouri General Assembly. She was also a health care executive.
Lewis says she has prioritized building relationships with Republicans, something she said is necessary being a member of the superminority in the General Assembly.
She was the ranking minority member on the House Healthcare Reform Committee. She also sat on the following committees during the 2024 legislative session: Health and Mental Health Policy, Professional Registration and Licensing, and Rural Community Development.
Legislation and issues
Lewis has sponsored legislation that would allow patients to have an annual supply of birth control from private insurance providers. She’s also introduced legislation that would authorize a sales tax exemption for diapers and menstrual products.
Lewis has also introduced a slew of bills related to gun safety measures. She’s sponsored legislation to create a voluntary program that would restrict a person’s ability to buy a firearm temporarily or permanently. She also introduced a bill that would allow a family member or police officer to ask the court to seize a firearm of a person believed to be a danger to themselves or others.
“As an ICU nurse who worked in a trauma center, I took care of many patients who are victims of gun violence,” Lewis said in a recent candidate forum on KCUR. “And we couldn’t save them all, and I was left comforting loved ones in the wake of a tragedy. It’s a personal issue to me.”
She’s also introduced legislation that would require the sale or transfer of a gun to go through a licensed dealer. Another bill would have put in state law that a person can be charged with child endangerment if they fail to secure a firearm around a child.
Lewis supported legislation to expand Medicaid coverage to postpartum Missourians from 60 days to one year.
Lewis said during the candidate forum that she supports using taxpayer dollars to keep the Chiefs and the Royals in Missouri.
Endorsements
Lewis has endorsements from at least 13 state representatives across the metro area for the Aug. 6 Missouri ballot, including Reps. Emily Weber, Michael Johnson and Ashley Bland Manlove, and Kansas City Council members Wes Rogers and Johnathan Duncan.
She’s also been endorsed by The Kansas City Star, Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, the Missouri State Teachers Association, Missouri NEA, KC Biz PAC, the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO, Missouri and Kansas SEIU State Council, PROMO Missouri, the state’s LGBTQ+ organization, Abortion Action Missouri, Moms Demand Action, Everytown for Gun Safety and the Sierra Club.
Pat Contreras aims for his first elected office on Aug. 6 Missouri ballot
Background
Pat Contreras is a former George W. Bush and Obama administration diplomat and current vice president of business at McGownGordon Construction.
As a diplomat, Contreras was stationed on two tours in Pakistan promoting American interests overseas and working to prevent wars, he said during the forum.
He was previously a board member of the Health Forward Foundation and served on the University Health board of directors.
Contreras said he believes his experience as a foreign diplomat has prepared him well to work across the aisle in the Missouri Senate. He’s pointed to his construction experience as creating economic development and jobs in the Kansas City area.
Legislation and issues
He wants to find a way to work with Republicans to lower the cost of prescription drugs. During the KCUR candidate forum, Contreras also said that he wants to find ways to address rising housing prices through things like rental assistance programs.
He said he was interested in using economic development tools to build more affordable housing units and raise the statewide minimum wage.
Contreras also mentioned that the cost of child care was a barrier when it comes to economic development and the economic welfare of Kansas Citians.
He also wants to continue funding public schools if elected to the Missouri Senate and to invest in workforce development.
Contreras supports using taxpayer dollars to keep the Chiefs and Royals within Missouri state lines, but emphasized that community input would be important.
Endorsements
Contreras has endorsements from former 7th District Sen. Greg Razer, former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker and former Kansas City Mayor Sly James. He also has been endorsed by Grandview Mayor Leonard Jones Jr. and Kansas City Council members Kevin O’Neill and Darrell Curls.
Contreras also has endorsements from the Downtown KC Political Action Committee, the KC Biz PAC, the Kansas City Heavy Constructors Association and the Iron Workers Local Union No. 10 and Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council political action committees.
