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Don Houston
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Don Houston (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Missouri House of Representatives to represent District 68. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 2, 2022.
Houston completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Houston was also a 2016 Democratic candidate for District 74 of the Missouri House of Representatives. He ran unsuccessfully for the same seat in 2014.
Biography
Don Houston was born in Riverton, Wyoming. He earned a high school diploma from McCluer North High School in 2002. His career experience includes working as a sequence planner and toolmaker at the Boeing Co. Houston has been affiliated with Toastmasters International.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Missouri House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Missouri House of Representatives District 68
Incumbent Jay Mosley won election in the general election for Missouri House of Representatives District 68 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jay Mosley (D) | 100.0 | 8,128 |
| Total votes: 8,128 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 68
Incumbent Jay Mosley defeated Pamela Paul and Don Houston in the Democratic primary for Missouri House of Representatives District 68 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jay Mosley | 60.6 | 2,336 |
 | Pamela Paul | 25.7 | 990 | |
 | Don Houston | 13.8 | 531 | |
| Total votes: 3,857 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Houston's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
2016
Elections for the Missouri House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 29, 2016. Incumbent Sharon Pace (D) did not seek re-election.
Cora Walker ran unopposed in the Missouri House of Representatives District 74 general election.[2]
| Missouri House of Representatives, District 74 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic |  Cora Walker (unopposed) | |
| Source: Missouri Secretary of State | ||
Cora Walker defeated Don Houston in the Missouri House of Representatives District 74 Democratic primary.[3][4]
| Missouri House of Representatives, District 74 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Cora Walker |
83.94% | 2,886 | |
| Democratic | Don Houston | 16.06% | 552 | |
| Total Votes | 3,438 | |||
2014
Elections for the Missouri House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 25, 2014. Incumbent Sharon Pace defeated Don Houston in the Democratic primary and was unopposed in the general election.[5][6][7]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Sharon Pace Incumbent |
78.5% | 2,781 |
| Don Houston | 21.5% | 762 |
| Total Votes | 3,543 | |
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Don Houston completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Houston's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
My name is Don Houston. I have lived in Florissant pretty much my whole life. I am a 3rd generation Florissant Resident. I attended High School at McCluer North. I studied Information Systems at St. Louis Community College before changing directions and enrolled at Lindenwood University to study towards a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. One of my first jobs was at Dierberg's Florissant where I was a member of UFCW local 655. I got into Machining as a young adult and joined IAM local 1345. In 2016 I landed my dream job at Boeing and joined Local 837 Machinist union where I continue to be a current dues paying brother. Now I am a Team Leader and perform planning for incoming tooling jobs. I am Married to Melissa Houston, and we have a 16-year-old daughter, Margaret Houston. I am a working-class man. This is what I have done my whole adult life. I know the struggles the working-class face. I have struggled at times and had to find funds to purchase needed items like diapers and formula when my daughter was little. I have had to decide which bills to pay this month because we only had enough in our account to cover some of our bills, not all of them. I am ready to work as an advocate for the working class. I also believe that with higher paying quality jobs in our community, the lower income families residing in our district can get the hand up that they need to help our community thrive. It is time we help make District 68 better! Vote Don Houston, Aug. 2nd
- One of the highest priorities to me is jobs. This is the key to bringing real benefits to our community. There are a lot of people that need assistance in our community. High paying jobs help alleviate the need our community faces as well as providing more in tax revenues. This can then be brought back to our community to help us flourish as a whole. I believe this is paramount to our long term sustainment as a community and I will consider the effect my votes on different legislation has on our communities jobs and will do everything within my power to steer the best jobs to our area.
- As a parent of a Ferguson Florissant student, I love this community for the opportunities that the district provides for my daughter. She is a gifted student and thankfully Ferguson Florissant has realized that quality programs like the Steam High School and Steam Middle School are necessary to keep quality education available for the students in our community. I believe our state needs to help fund more programs that can help bring exciting new opportunities for the youth of our community to draw working class families to decide that District 68 is a great place to raise a family.
- No one should risk bankruptcy, especially if they develop a disease that they have no control over. Expensive medical procedures can ruin the working class and lower income households, due to excessive debts that families struggle to repay. This is ridiculous. Cancer is bad enough, it should financially ruin a citizens life. This is America. We are one of the wealthiest nations in the world. I will make it a priority to look for legislation that will offer benefits that will alleviate financial hardships due to necessary medical procedures. That's a promise.
As a student who has studied accounting, I would have to say I am most passionate about economic policy. I am ready to see North County financially thrive. It's time that funding stops going to the most affluent communities. It is our time. We have gotten shafted for far to long. In my discussion with current elected officials, I have been told that what our community is missing is a representative knows how to network and reach across the aisle to get our fair share for our community. I know that I can achieve this through consistent communication and professional discussions. We have too much divide in this world and if we can all work towards the greater good, we can Heal the Divide.
Honesty, Commitment, Determination, Intelligence, and Passion. These are the keys to being a great representative. Honesty when it comes to what realistic expectations are. Someone who wont just promise their constituents the world with no real path to provide it. Commitment and Determination are similar. I think this job will take lots of both of these principles so it's worth mentioning both of them. I can't back down or give up. Even in the face of resistance, I must persevere and push on. There is a job that needs done and I will be expected to give my best effort. Intelligence is a principle that may seem a bit arrogant, but I know that I am smart enough to do a great job for my community. I consistently take on tasks that many of my peers just can't comprehend. I have always been highly intelligent and believe it is absolutely required to be a great representative. Passion is the final principal I listed. I am passionate about this. I have been passionate about making sure my community gets its fair share since I was a young adult and as I get older, I find my self caring ever more. At times, my community seems to be headed the wrong direction. This always troubles me and I am ready to do my part to help Heal the Divide.
I would just like to be remembered as a true representative who accomplished the needs and desires of my community, always provide a friendly contact in the state legislation, and got the work done that needed to be done to make our district a better place to live.
The first historical event that I can remember happening was the Oklahoma City Bombing. I was in 4th grade. I had never heard of something so terrible happening and just couldn't quite grasp the intense news reports I would hear on the evening news. I struggled thinking about the shear number of lives that were lost and I guess what stuck with me most was that so many children were killed while at daycare. I just kept thinking about how terrible the whole tragedy was and kept thinking about how it would have to feel to all the families involved.
Between a rock and a hard place by Aron Ralston. It is just so wild to me how far a person will go to fight for their life.
Cranberries - linger
No, I do not. It's my opinion that anyone with the knowledge and drive to get the job can be a great representative. When I win my election, I will be a freshman representative. I will observe and take mental notes. I will do my best from day one but the results may not be seen immediately. I will devise a game plan out what actions I need to take to get the job done for my community and when I have a plan figured out, I will immediately act. Afterwards, I will reflect on how it went and adjust my strategies accordingly. It's a learning process and I am excited for the opportunity.
I think it is paramount to build relations ships. I have already begun this process. I have contacted several lawmakers over the years in regards to state legislation I supported or opposed and then I use those conversations to continue correspondence and keep my opinions heard. This is the same strategy I will implore when I am representing District 68 in Jefferson City.
I believe that it is part of the game. Both sides must work together to get the results they desire. I will reach across the aisle when I believe it will benefit my community. The fact Missouri is heavily republican, any democrat must work across parties to achieve what our communities need and deserve. We have to work hand in hand but also expressing how our views are different on key issues and make it known that some key points we cannot be flexible on.
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.
2014
Houston's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
| “ | Rebuild Our Middle Class
Make Sure Everyone plays by the rules
|
” |
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 23, 2022
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "2016 general election results," accessed December 20, 2016
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "Certified Candidate List," accessed April 28, 2016
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "State of Missouri - Primary 2016 - August 2, 2016," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "All Results - State of Missouri - Primary Election - August 5, 2014," accessed August 26, 2014
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "Certified Candidate List - Primary Election," accessed July 24, 2014
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "All Results-State of Missouri-General-November 4, 2014: Unofficial Results," November 8, 2014
- ↑ Working Families for Don Houston, "Meet Don Houston," accessed July 22, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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
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
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
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
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
District 99
Ian Mackey (D)
District 100
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
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
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)
