Missouri judicial elections summary, 2014
| Missouri judicial elections, 2014 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Total candidates: | 270 |
| Primary candidates: | 212 |
| General election candidates: | 49 |
| Incumbency | |
| Incumbents: | 171 |
| Incumbent success rate: | 95% |
| Competition - general election | |
| Percent of candidates in contested races: | 22% |
| Percent uncontested: | 56% |
| Percent retention: | 22% |
| Partisan victories | |
Republican 
|
93 |
Democratic 
|
54 |
2015 →
← 2013
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| Judicial Elections |
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| Judicial elections, 2014 |
| Judicial election dates |
| Candidates by state |
| Supreme court elections |
In Missouri’s 2014 judicial elections, 270 candidates ran, including 171 incumbents. All but nine incumbents were re-elected. The general election on November 4 featured 24 contested races and 127 uncontested ones.
Missouri Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judges face retention elections at the end of each term. Missouri Supreme Court Justices Laura Denvir Stith and Paul C. Wilson were both successfully retained in 2014, with 64.1% and 63.2% "yes" votes, respectively. Six court of appeals judges were retained as well.
Judges of the circuit courts run either in retention elections or partisan elections, depending on the county. All but five counties use partisan elections for circuit court judges. In those five counties where retention elections are held for circuit court judges (St. Louis, Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Greene counties), 41 incumbent judges were retained. The partisan elections in 2014 consisted of 93 Republican candidate winners and 54 Democratic winners.
For general election results, see: Missouri judicial elections, 2014.
For primary election results, see: Missouri judicial primary elections, 2014.
Interesting races
- All judges who stood for retention were successfully retained for another term. Judge Mark A. Powell of the 31st Judicial Circuit Court had the highest percentage of "yes" votes: 77.2%. The lowest retention approval in Missouri was 57.1%, which Judges Patrick Clifford and Dennis Smith both received.
- Presiding Judge Patricia S. Joyce defeated Jefferson City Prosecutor Brian Stumpe with 53% of the vote. By mid-October, a Missouri political action committee (PAC) backed by the Republican State Leadership Committee had funneled $200,000 into the campaign of Republican candidate Brian Stumpe. Approximately $78,000 of those funds were used for a media buy featuring TV ads that promoted Stumpe and criticized the incumbent, Judge Patricia S. Joyce (D).[1][2]
- The following were some closely contested races (winners shown in bold):
- 13th Judicial Circuit Court: Kim Shaw (51.9%), Michael R. Whitworth (48.1%)
- 41st Judicial Circuit Court: Philip Prewitt (51.1%), Kristen Burks, (48.9%)
- 42nd Judicial Circuit Court: Scott Bernstein (50.2%), Susan E. Bell (49.8%)
- Seven incumbent judges were voted out in 2014. Judge Meryl L. Lange was defeated in the Republican primary, while the remaining six judges lost in the general election. Four of those unseated had been appointed by Democratic Governor Jay Nixon in 2013 and 2014. Of these, three ran as Democrats, and one ran as a Republican.
List of defeated incumbents
| Name | Court |
|---|---|
| J. Brad Funk | 3rd Judicial Circuit Court, Mercer County associate judge position - Associate Judge, Mercer County |
| James M. Owen | 30th Judicial Circuit Court - Associate Judge, Division 2 |
| Kenneth G. Clayton | 25th Judicial Circuit Court - Associate Judge, Division 2 |
| Meryl L. Lange | 17th Judicial Circuit Court - Associate Judge, Division 3 |
| Patrick S. Flynn | 45th Judicial Circuit Court, Lincoln County associate judge position - Associate Judge, Lincoln County, Division III |
| Ray Dickhaner | 23rd Judicial Circuit Court - Associate Judge, Division 11 |
| Ronda L. Cortesini | 25th Judicial Circuit Court - Probate Division |
| Stephen Bouchard | 23rd Judicial Circuit Court - Associate Judge, Division 12 |
Footnotes
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Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri
State courts:
Missouri Supreme Court • Missouri Court of Appeals • Missouri Circuit Courts • Missouri Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Missouri • Missouri judicial elections • Judicial selection in Missouri
