Barbara Phifer | |
---|---|
Member of the
Missouri House of Representatives from the 90th district | |
Assumed office January 6, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Deb Lavender |
Personal details | |
Political party | Democratic |
Children | 5 |
Residence(s) | Kirkwood, Missouri, U.S. |
Website | Campaign site |
Barbara Phifer is a former United Methodist pastor who started her term as a Democratic member of the Missouri House of Representatives, representing the state's 90th House district, in January 2021. [1] She is a candidate in the 2024 Missouri Secretary of State election.
Phifer is a graduate of Cornell College and St. Paul School of Theology, [2] and served as a United Methodist pastor for over 40 years. [3] Her preaching career included a five-year stint in Montevideo, Uruguay under a dictatorship, an experience which she said gave her "an understanding of the dangers of authoritarianism, which is what I see in the [Republican] party right now". [2] Along with her criticism of Donald Trump, Phifer ran on a platform of expanding Medicaid, improving public education, and supporting gun control and social justice issues such as women's and LGBTQ rights. [2] [4]
Phifer had not thought about entering politics until after retiring from preaching, but decided to run for the seat vacated by Deb Lavender who was running for state Senate. [2] In 2020, Phifer defeated her Republican opponent in the general election for Missouri's 90th state House district. [5] [6]
In March 2024, Phifer announced her candidacy for Missouri Secretary of State in front of the Jefferson City Missouri River Regional Library. She criticized book banning efforts in Missouri and expressed a commitment to neutral ballot language. [7]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Barbara Phifer | 13,858 | 56.72% | -43.28 | |
Republican | Anne Landers | 10,575 | 43.28% | +43.28 | |
Total votes | 24,433 | 100.00% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Barbara Phifer | 11,355 | 62.56% | +5.84 | |
Republican | Gary Albert Bokermann, Jr. | 6,795 | 37.44% | -5.84 | |
Total votes | 18,150 | 100.00% |
Phifer lives in Kirkwood, Missouri with her husband, and has five children and seven grandchildren. [2] [3] [10]