Nodaway County saw a 40% turnout in Tuesday's primary election, with voters selecting nominees for congressional, state, and local offices while backing a state parks tax renewal and rejecting major constitutional changes.
MARYVILLE, MO — Voters in Nodaway County headed to the polls Tuesday for the primary election, bringing in a 40.45% turnout across all 21 precincts. Out of 12,917 registered voters, 5,225 turned out to cast their ballots for key primary matchups and four statewide constitutional amendments.
Congressional and State Races
In the Republican primary for U.S. House of Representatives in Missouri’s 6th District, radio personality Chris Stigall emerged victorious, taking 1,699 votes (45.57%). He pulled ahead of a crowded field, topping Nathan Hall Willett (1,367 votes; 36.67%), Jim Ingram (268 votes; 7.19%), Nathanael Schultz (240 votes; 6.44%), and Cody J. Oshel (154 votes; 4.13%). On the Democratic ticket, Josh Smead secured his party's nomination with 570 votes (61.09%), defeating Matt Levine (230 votes; 24.65%) and Scot Pondelick (133 votes; 14.26%). Libertarian Andy Maidment ran unopposed, collecting 16 votes.
Incumbent State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick dominated the Republican primary, winning re-election to the ballot with 2,905 votes (86.05%) over challenger Gerald (Jerry) Wistrand Jr.’s 471 votes (13.95%). On the Democratic side, Quentin Wilson won comfortably with 643 votes (71.76%) over Gregory Upchurch, who finished with 253 votes (28.24%). Libertarian Dustin Coffell ran unopposed and earned 16 votes.
County Offices
In the lone contested local race, Republican David L. Hershberger won the primary for Prosecuting Attorney, garnering 2,865 votes (74.34%) against incumbent Tina Meyer Deiter's 989 votes (25.66%).
Several candidates advanced smoothly through their uncontested party primaries:
State Senator (12th District): Republican Rusty Black (3,101 votes) and Democrat Judy McNeece (887 votes).
State Representative (1st District): Republican Jeff Farnan (3,378 votes).
Associate Circuit Judge: Republican Robert (Bob) L. Rice (3,391 votes).
Presiding Commissioner: Republican Chris Burns (3,304 votes).
Circuit Court Clerk: Republican Elaine Wilson (3,476 votes).
County Commission Clerk: Republican Melinda Patton (3,486 votes).
Recorder of Deeds: Republican Lisa James (3,420 votes).
Constitutional Amendments
Nodaway County voters weighed in heavily on four state constitutional measures:
Amendment 1 (Parks and Soils Tax): Passed locally with overwhelming support, receiving 4,290 YES votes (83.77%) to 831 NO votes (16.23%). The measure renews an existing 0.1% sales tax for 10 years to fund state parks, historic sites, and soil and water conservation efforts without raising taxes.
Amendment 2 (Elected Assessors): Passed locally with 3,984 YES votes (78.77%) to 1,074 NO votes (21.23%). This amendment removes a local carveout for Jackson County, requiring all charter counties in Missouri to elect their tax assessor.
Amendment 4 (Ballot Initiative Rules): Failed locally, drawn down by 4,064 NO votes (78.38%) to 1,121 YES votes (21.62%). Dubbed the "Protect Missouri Voters" amendment, it proposed requiring citizen-led ballot initiatives to pass in all congressional districts, alongside stricter campaign finance rules.
Amendment 5 (Income Tax Elimination): Overwhelmingly rejected locally, with 4,493 NO votes (86.64%) to 693 YES votes (13.36%). The measure proposed gradually phrasing out Missouri’s state personal income tax based on state revenue growth.
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