Rep. Patty Lewis has won the contentious Democratic primary race for Missouri State Senate’s 7th district Tuesday night.
Lewis, an ICU nurse, healthcare executive, and the current Democratic State Representative for District 25, was first elected to the Missouri State House in 2020. She will now face off against Republican Joey LaSalle in the general election.
The 7th district is a key region for Kansas City, including prominent areas such as Union Station, Westport, the Country Club Plaza, Brookside and Waldo. The district was previously held by former Democratic Sen. Greg Razer, who vacated his seat after Gov. Mike Parson appointed him to the State Tax Commission in April.
The Associated Press called the race just after 10:30 p.m. Lewis spent most of the night with a two-thirds lead over Contreras, and ended with about 67% of the votes with 87% of ballots counted, according to unofficial results released Tuesday night .
Lewis bested Contreras, vice president of business development at McCownGordon Construction, who faced off with her as the other Democrat on the primary ballot. Each campaigned on women’s rights, including the right to choose and to have full access to reproductive health.