McCreery Seeks Return To General Assembly In 88th District

Tracy McCreery, who represented the 83rd district in the Missouri General Assembly after winning a special election in 2011 before losing the seat in a primary campaign the following year, has her eyes set on a return to Jefferson City.

McCreery, of Olivette, has formed a campaign committee to run in what is now the 88th district in the Missouri House, which includes parts of Creve Coeur, Olivette, Ladue, Town and Country and Chesterfield. She's looking to succeed Jill Schupp, the Creve Coeur Democrat who is serving her third term in the House. Schupp has launched a campaign for the State Senate.

Before seeking office herself, McCreery was an aide for 8 years in the office of State Senator Joan Bray. She's currently the Manager of Public Policy for PROMO, an organization that lobbies on behalf of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Persons.

In a brief phone interview with Patch, she promised a campaign that would support Medicaid expansion in Missouri, and put a focus on education. She was critical of leaders in the GOP-controlled House and State Senate who put emphasis and time into issues such as outlawing the use of Sharia law and federal gun law nullification in the last legislative session instead of focusing on the issues surrounding student transfers from unaccredited school districts.

McCreery made no claims regarding the party's chances of retaking the House but sounded an optimistic note about overcoming what is now a veto-proof majority for Republicans in Jefferson City. 

The 88th District consists of parts of five cities but the largest chunk of real estate is in Creve Coeur. While no GOP candidates have emerged as of yet, at least one Republican activist has suggested that the race could be more appealing now, since McCreery isn't from the city.

McCreery, who points to the fact that she won a 2011 special election as an Independent against a Democrat and a Republican candidate backed by the Tea Party, dismissed the notion.

"We're not running for City Council," she said.