Dave Raithel

Dave Raithel (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Missouri House of Representatives to represent District 44. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Raithel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Dave Raithel was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He served in the U.S. Army from 1974 to 1977. He earned a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1981 and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri, Columbia in 1990.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Missouri House of Representatives District 44

John Martin defeated Dave Raithel in the general election for Missouri House of Representatives District 44 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	John Martin (R)	64.7	12,864
	Dave Raithel (D)	35.3	7,023

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,887
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 44

Dave Raithel advanced from the Democratic primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 44 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dave Raithel	100.0	1,937

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,937
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 44

John Martin defeated Bryce Beal in the Republican primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 44 on August 6, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	John Martin	61.2	2,756
	Bryce Beal	38.8	1,747

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,503
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Raithel in this election.

2022

General election

General election for Missouri House of Representatives District 44

Incumbent Cheri Toalson Reisch defeated Dave Raithel in the general election for Missouri House of Representatives District 44 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Cheri Toalson Reisch (R)	62.6	9,021
	Dave Raithel (D)	37.4	5,393

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 14,414
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 44

Dave Raithel advanced from the Democratic primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 44 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dave Raithel	100.0	1,937

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,937
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 44

Incumbent Cheri Toalson Reisch advanced from the Republican primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 44 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cheri Toalson Reisch	100.0	3,247

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,247
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Dave Raithel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Raithel's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a 68 year old Army veteran, husband of more than 40 years, father of two sons, grandfather to four grandchildren. I am a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (Philosophy, 1981) and the University of Missouri of Missouri-Columbia (Ph.D. Philosophy, 1990) I've paid the bills being a teacher, a musician, a farm hand, and a truck driver. My first political campaign was knocking doors for Walkin' Joe Teasdale in 1972, and I've been politically involved someway most my life. I'm a pro-choice gun-owner who believes in Red-Flag Laws and Universal Background Checks for gun sales. I believe in non-sectarian public schools, boards of health, and librarians. I preach that no one owes anyone an explanation or apology for the body which God or Nature has given them, from which it follows that your and your children's intimate affairs are none of my business. I am a "my mind own business, stand my ground" kind of Democrat. I'm an un-abashed anti-Fascist.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I will not lie to you, and I cannot be bought.
I still believe in The Four Freedoms: Of Speech, of Worship, from Want, and From Fear.
The modern American Republican Party is a fascist party, and I am an anti-Fascist.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

In these current times, saving American democracy is the necessary condition of doing anything else.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I have no heroes. I've learned that if you learn enough about someone, there's something you did not want to know. I respect Ideas, I respect Values. As much as I "look up" to anyone, it would be people with good ideas, interesting ideas, and people with values of integrity, truth, fairness.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Sure - spend some years reading Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, then work your way through the British Liberals, take some years reading Marx and Engels while also working through Rawls and Nozick and all the exchanges generated; spend some time reading Hayek and Posner; study some theory of games and decisions. Take the fact that Thomas Jefferson is from The Enlightenment seriously, and remember the values heralded. Learn something about Modern Monetary Theory. Then you might surmise why I sometimes summarize my political philosophy as: Egalitarian opposition to rich assholes.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I will not lie, I will not be bought.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I will not lie to you and I will not be intimated. Period.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To be fair. To distinguish those with interests in the state and community from those who mean it harm, and dismiss the noise of the latter. To make policy choices on the basis of evidence, not on one's religious prejudices, ignorance, or material gain.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Please read the above.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Watching the Nixon-Kennedy debates, 4 almost 5 years old. Well, my mom was watching, my dad was working nights, I was playing on the floor, but I understood this was something important.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

As a child? Teenager? Adult? I am of the proletariat. I've worked some job all my life.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Mother Night. The moral lesson...

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Whatever the ideal, it won't happen.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Christian Nationalists/Fascists occupying public office.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Depends upon their experiences.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, people have to talk. Seems obvious, no explanation needed.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

None

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I am not.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Yes - but that comes with the indignity of people having to explain why it is wrong for the State to be involved in family planning, abortion decisions, and intimate medical affairs. It is the pornography provoked by Christian fascists, whose goal is to be involved with whatever happens between your and your children's legs.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Nope, you would not put it here anyway, politically incorrect and offensive to somebody, I am sure.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Under what circumstances? Gee, in the absolute abstract, sure, Sometimes. Seems imprudent to say Never, since I don't see the future too well.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

I am considering legislation to kill Chapter 100 Revenue Bonds and other such schemes, because they provoke cities and counties to engage in contests offering tax cuts, which cynical businesses use to extort public funds - socialism for capital, so to speak. Cities and counties cannot free themselves from these schemes, only the State, statewide, can do that. I am also aware that when Abortion Rights be re-instated in Missouri, numerous TRAP laws will need repealing. I have more than a few options.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

So far, in 2024 I am a Mothers for Action Gun Sense Candidate. In 2022 I was endorsed by the Sierra Club, Missouri Abortion Action, and a half dozen labor unions.

What committees interest you?

I am interested in Rural Development; I am opposed to cutting more taxes; I am otherwise willing to serve where leaderships finds me best suited.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Well, no accountability is bad; non-transparency is bad. Seems rather obvious, No?

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I am opposed to every "deform" that the "Republicans" have attempted to foist on Missourians.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Dave Raithel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Dave Raithel campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Missouri House of Representatives District 44	Lost general	$22,964	$21,766
2022	Missouri House of Representatives District 44	Lost general	$14,731	$14,265
Grand total			$37,695	$36,031
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

External links

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Candidate

Missouri House of Representatives District 44

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 8, 2024

[show]

Current members of the Missouri House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Jon Patterson

Minority Leader:Ashley Aune

Representatives

District 1

Jeff Farnan (R)

District 2

Mazzie Christensen (R)

District 3

Danny Busick (R)

District 4

Greg Sharpe (R)

District 5

Louis Riggs (R)

District 6

Ed Lewis (R)

District 7

Peggy McGaugh (R)

District 8

Josh Hurlbert (R)

District 9

Dean VanSchoiack (R)

District 10

Bill Falkner (R)

District 11

Brenda Shields (R)

District 12

Mike Jones (R)

District 13

Sean Pouche (R)

District 14

Ashley Aune (D)

District 15

Kenneth Jamison (D)

District 16

Chris Brown (R)

District 17

Bill Allen (R)

District 18

Eric Woods (D)

District 19

Wick Thomas (D)

District 20

Mike Steinmeyer (R)

District 21

Will Jobe (D)

District 22

Yolanda Young (D)

District 23

Michael Johnson (D)

District 24

Emily Weber (D)

District 25

Patricia Mansur (D)

District 26

Tiffany Price (D)

District 27

Melissa Douglas (D)

District 28

Donna Barnes (D)

District 29

Aaron Crossley (D)

District 30

Jon Patterson (R)

District 31

Ron Fowler (R)

District 32

Jeff Coleman (R)

District 33

Carolyn Caton (R)

District 34

Kemp Strickler (D)

District 35

Keri Ingle (D)

District 36

Anthony Ealy (D)

District 37

Mark Sharp (D)

District 38

Martin Jacobs (D)

District 39

Mark Meirath (R)

District 40

Chad Perkins (R)

District 41

Doyle Justus (R)

District 42

Jeff Myers (R)

District 43

Kent Haden (R)

District 44

John Martin (R)

District 45

Mary Steinhoff (D)

District 46

David Smith (D)

District 47

Adrian Plank (D)

District 48

Tim Taylor (R)

District 49

Jim Schulte (R)

District 50

Gregg Bush (D)

District 51

Mark Nolte (R)

District 52

Bradley Pollitt (R)

District 53

Terry Thompson (R)

District 54

Brandon Phelps (R)

District 55

William Irwin (R)

District 56

Michael Davis (R)

District 57

Rodger Reedy (R)

District 58

Willard Haley (R)

District 59

Rudy Veit (R)

District 60

Dave Griffith (R)

District 61

Bruce Sassmann (R)

District 62

Sherri Gallick (R)

District 63

Tricia Byrnes (R)

District 64

Deanna Self (R)

District 65

Wendy Hausman (R)

District 66

Marlene Terry (D)

District 67

Tonya Rush (D)

District 68

Kem Smith (D)

District 69

Scott Miller (R)

District 70

Stephanie Boykin (D)

District 71

LaDonna Appelbaum (D)

District 72

Doug Clemens (D)

District 73

Raychel Proudie (D)

District 74

Marla Smith (D)

District 75

Chanel Mosley (D)

District 76

Marlon Anderson (D)

District 77

Kimberly-Ann Collins (D)

District 78

Marty Murray (D)

District 79

LaKeySha Bosley (D)

District 80

Elizabeth Fuchs (D)

District 81

Steve Butz (D)

District 82

Nick Kimble (D)

District 83

Raymond Reed (D)

District 84

Del Taylor (D)

District 85

Yolonda Fountain Henderson (D)

District 86

Jeff Hales (D)

District 87

Connie Steinmetz (D)

District 88

Holly Jones (R)

District 89

George Hruza (R)

District 90

Mark Boyko (D)

District 91

Jo Doll (D)

District 92

Michael Burton (D)

District 93

Bridget Moore (D)

District 94

Jim Murphy (R)

District 95

Vacant

District 96

Brad Christ (R)

District 97

David Casteel (R)

District 98

Jaclyn Zimmermann (D)

District 99

Ian Mackey (D)

District 100

Philip Oehlerking (R)

District 101

Ben Keathley (R)

District 102

Richard West (R)

District 103

Dave Hinman (R)

District 104

Terri Violet (R)

District 105

Colin Wellenkamp (R)

District 106

Travis Wilson (R)

District 107

Mark Matthiesen (R)

District 108

Mike Costlow (R)

District 109

John Simmons (R)

District 110

Justin Sparks (R)

District 111

Cecelie Williams (R)

District 112

Renee Reuter (R)

District 113

Phil Amato (R)

District 114

Vacant

District 115

Bill Lucas (R)

District 116

Dale Wright (R)

District 117

Becky Laubinger (R)

District 118

Mike McGirl (R)

District 119

Brad Banderman (R)

District 120

John Hewkin (R)

District 121

Bill Hardwick (R)

District 122

Tara Peters (R)

District 123

Jeff Vernetti (R)

District 124

Don Mayhew (R)

District 125

Dane Diehl (R)

District 126

Jim Kalberloh (R)

District 127

Ann Kelley (R)

District 128

Christopher Warwick (R)

District 129

John Black (R)

District 130

Bishop Davidson (R)

District 131

Bill Owen (R)

District 132

Jeremy Dean (D)

District 133

Melanie Stinnett (R)

District 134

Alex Riley (R)

District 135

Betsy Fogle (D)

District 136

Stephanie Hein (D)

District 137

Darin Chappell (R)

District 138

Burt Whaley (R)

District 139

Bob Titus (R)

District 140

Jamie Gragg (R)

District 141

Melissa Schmidt (R)

District 142

Jeff Knight (R)

District 143

Bennie Cook (R)

District 144

Tony Harbison (R)

District 145

Bryant Wolfin (R)

District 146

Barry Hovis (R)

District 147

John Voss (R)

District 148

David Dolan (R)

District 149

Donnie Brown (R)

District 150

Cameron Bunting Parker (R)

District 151

Steven Jordan (R)

District 152

Hardy Billington (R)

District 153

Keith Elliott (R)

District 154

Lisa Durnell (R)

District 155

Matthew Overcast (R)

District 156

Brian Seitz (R)

District 157

Mitch Boggs (R)

District 158

Scott Cupps (R)

District 159

Dirk Deaton (R)

District 160

Vacant

District 161

Lane Roberts (R)

District 162

Robert Bromley (R)

District 163

Cathy Loy (R)

Republican Party (108)

Democratic Party (52)

Vacancies (3)

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 8, 2024

[1]

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Dave Raithel

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Missouri House of Representatives District 44

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 44

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 44

Endorsements

2022

General election

General election for Missouri House of Representatives District 44

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 44

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 44

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2022

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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