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| Elections in Missouri |
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Columbia, Missouri, held a mayoral election on April 8, 2025, concurrently with elections for the city council members for city wards 3 and 4. The incumbent mayor, Barbara Buffaloe, was re-elected to a second term in office. She garnered just over 55 percent of the total citywide vote. [1]
In 2022, former Columbia Sustainability Manager Barbara Buffaloe won the mayoral election to succeed outgoing Mayor Brian Treece, subsequently being sworn into office on April 18, 2022. Mayor Buffaloe sought re-election to a second term, announcing her second consecutive mayoral campaign on January 28, 2025. At this launch event, Mayor Buffaloe outlined her campaign's guiding themes, hoping to convince voters with accomplishments from her first term. [2] [3]
Mayor Buffaloe faced-off against two challengers during the election campaign; paint store owner Blair "Murph" Murphy and Missouri School of Journalism adjunct professor Tanya Heath. Both of these challengers qualified for the general election ballot, while Lucio Bitoy IV achieved ballot access as a recognized write-in candidate. A major theme for the mayoral election was improving city safety and the reduction of crime in the Columbia area, overall, with all three qualified candidates making it a central issue of their respective campaigns. [1] [3]
The mayor's campaign garnered endorsements from various local groups, including the local union representing public sector employees in the Columbia city government. In addition to public safety concerns, Mayor Buffaloe also promised to prioritize addressing the city's turnover rate within its administration. [4]
Murphy's first-time political campaign was bolstered by both individual donations and a large contribution from Citizens for a Better Columbia PAC. While Murphy received several endorsements from local businesspeople, he also picked up the controversial public endorsement of head Missouri Tigers football coach Eli Drinkwitz, who was subsequently subjected to a formal ethics complaint for endorsing Murphy; alleged as a potential violation of the University of Missouri's employee policies. [5] In terms of campaign fundraising and spending, the Murphy campaign exceeded that of all other candidates.
| Candidate | Experience | Announced |
|---|---|---|
| Barbara Buffaloe | Incumbent mayor (2022-present) Former Columbia Sustainability Manager (2010–2021) | January 31, 2025 [3] (Website) |
| Tanya Heath | Adjunct professor at the Missouri School of Journalism Candidate for Mayor of Columbia, Missouri (2022) Former president of the American Advertising Federation of Mid-Missouri | September 25, 2024 [3] [6] |
| Blair "Murph" Murphy | Owner of Johnston Paint and Decorating CrimeStoppers Board member | October 17, 2024 [3] [6]  (Website) |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Barbara Buffaloe | 14,073 | 55.08% | |
| Nonpartisan | Blair "Murph" Murphy | 10,663 | 41.73% | |
| Nonpartisan | Tanya Heath | 779 | 3.05% | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 37 | 0.14% | |
| Total votes | 25,552 | 100% | ||
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