Barbara Phifer | |
---|---|
Member of the MissouriHouseofRepresentatives from the 90th district | |
In office January 6, 2021 –January 8, 2025 | |
Preceded by | Deb Lavender |
Succeeded by | Mark Boyko |
Personal details | |
Born | Washington,D.C.,U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Thomas |
Children | 5 |
Education | Cornell College (BA) Oklahoma City University (MDiv) |
Website | Campaign website |
Barbara Phifer is a former United Methodist pastor who started her term as a Democratic member of the Missouri House of Representatives,representing the state's 90th House district,in January 2021. [1] She was the Democratic candidate in the 2024 Missouri Secretary of State election.
Born in Washington,D.C.,Phifer is a graduate of Cornell College,where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and history in 1977. She then attended St. Paul School of Theology at Oklahoma City University,where she received a master's degree in theology in 1980. [2] [3]
Phfier has served as a United Methodist pastor for over 40 years. [4] Her preaching career included a five-year stint in Montevideo,Uruguay under a dictatorship,an experience which she said gave her "an understanding of the dangers of authoritarianism,which is what I see in the [Republican] party right now". [2] Along with her criticism of Donald Trump,Phifer ran on a platform of expanding Medicaid,improving public education,and supporting gun control and social justice issues such as women's and LGBTQ rights. [2] [5]
Phifer had not thought about entering politics until after retiring from preaching,but decided to run for the seat vacated by Deb Lavender who was running for state Senate. [2] In 2020,Phifer defeated her Republican opponent in the general election for Missouri's 90th state House district. [6] [7]
In March 2024,Phifer announced her candidacy for Missouri Secretary of State in front of the Jefferson City Missouri River Regional Library. She criticized book banning efforts in Missouri and expressed a commitment to neutral ballot language. [8] She lost the race to Denny Hoskins. [9]
Phifer lives in Kirkwood,Missouri with her husband Thomas,and has five children and seven grandchildren. [2] [4] [10] [3]
Phifer had no opponents in the Democratic primary elections for the Missouri House of Representatives,winning the party nomination by default each time.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Barbara Phifer | 13,858 | 56.72% | −43.28 | |
Republican | Anne Landers | 10,575 | 43.28% | +43.28 | |
Total votes | 24,433 | 100.00% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Barbara Phifer | 11,355 | 62.56% | +5.84 | |
Republican | Gary Albert Bokermann, Jr. | 6,795 | 37.44% | −5.84 | |
Total votes | 18,150 | 100.00% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Barbara Phifer | 146,284 | 40.86 | |
Democratic | Monique Williams | 123,270 | 34.43 | |
Democratic | Haley Jacobsen | 88,491 | 24.72 | |
Total votes | 358,045 | 100.00 |