Posted by JoshCarter on 11/11/08

In this recent election, libertarians and true conservatives took a lot of hits, between losing primaries to neo-cons and general races to socialists, there was plenty to be disappointed about this time around. But, as always, there were some races that showed there is still hope for this movement and that hard work pays off. One such race was the competition for Missouri's 1st State Senatorial seat. Republican Jim Lembke was running against Democrat Joan Barry, the seat was being vacated by a Democrat who had reached their term limit.

Mr. Lembke has stood out as a fine example of a true, conservative Republican. Among other things he introduced the legislation that made it easier for citizens to get their required emissions testing done, and introduced articles of impeachment against a judge whom he thought had stepped out of her Constitutional bounds. He truly understands what it means to be a public servant, and he was an easy pick for a group of C4L precinct leaders looking for a good candidate to support.

While none of these volunteers actually lived inside of the 1st Senatorial, they lived close, and knew that the area needed some good, conservative representation in Jefferson City, so they got to work. They dropped "Lembke for Senate" literature by the thousands, walking up and down untold numbers of steps(South St. Louis is very hilly terrain....). They attended community parades, ice cream socials, and even organized an anti-Red Light Camera concert with Mr. Lembke as the keynote speaker.

Everyone was reluctantly hopeful leading up to the election. The last Republican that ran for this seat lost by a mere 500 votes, and did not campaign in the St. Louis City portion of the district at all. Would the efforts of the City volunteers make up the difference? Indeed they did! When the results were tallied, the City portion of the district overperformed for Mr. Lembke by 6% over the last election, while other Republicans in the area lost ground. At the end of the day, Jim Lembke won the election by just 56 votes.

Of course nothing is set in stone yet, as a recount is in order, but one way or the other, this shows what grassroots activity can accomplish. This was simply a once-over of lit drops and an ice cream social in the area that made this difference, made possible by no more than a dozen people, with a core group of 4-5. It doesn't take an army, just a determined resistance and a good candidate. Keep up the good fight, my friends, we'll be there before you know it!


-Josh Carter

Posted 11/11/08 Dr Drumright Kansas City, MO

Cross my fingers, and congratulations to all of us, thanks to your efforts!

Posted 03/05/09 Wildkats1 St Louis, MO

ALthough I believe Mr. Lempke is everything you say he is I still wish he would of went after another senatorial seat. Joan Barry was not the enemy!