Democrat Flips Republican-Held Seat In Missouri Special Election

KANSAS CITY, MO — Democrat Lauren Arthur has won a special election for state senate in Missouri, flipping a district that went for Donald Trump by almost five points in 2016. Tonight's election marks the 42nd legislative seat Democrats have managed to wrest from Republicans in the past two years.

Arthur was first elected to the Missouri State House in 2014. A former middle school English teacher from Kansas City, she beat her Republican challenger — state Rep. Kevin Corlew — by 19 points, a 25-point swing from two Novembers ago. The last time a Democrat held the district, which is northeast of Kansas City, the first iPhone was barely a year old.

“Missouri voters made their voices heard – they are ready to send someone to Jefferson City who will put people before politics and advocate for better access to affordable health care, investing in education, and growing the economy by supporting workers who deserve fair wages and good benefits," said executive director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, Jessica Post. Her group poured about $25,000 into Arthur's campaign and knocked on more than 51,000 doors, according to a news release.

According to the Kansas City Star, Arthur built her campaign around labor rights, opposition to state funding cuts, and support for access to abortion, saying of the last, it is "not a decision that should be made by politicians in Jefferson City."

Democratic candidates are currently running about 10 points ahead of Hillary Clinton and 7 points ahead of Barack Obama in races across the country, according to Vox.com. Democrats hope that will amount to momentum going into the November midterms. Based on the wins they've wracked up in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Florida and elsewhere, they may be right.

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, who is expected to have a tough fight ahead of her in November, Tweeted her congratulations to the senator-elect:

Congratulations Senator Arthur! It’s a flip...red to blue. Thanks to all the hard work of Lauren and many volunteers we have won a state senate seat that Trump won and was held by a Republican. By a lot!! Not even close....
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) June 6, 2018

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