While Missouri House Republicans maintained their GOP supermajorities in last week’s elections, House Speaker-designee Jon Patterson (R-Lee’s Summit) is being challenged by a fellow Republican who is critical of Patterson’s voting record.
State Rep. Justin Sparks (R-Wildwood), who was re-elected to his second House term last week, spoke on 939 the Eagle’s “Gary Nolan show”, telling listeners that Representative Patterson was selected through an informal House GOP vote about a year ago:
“Those freshman legislators that class just got done knocking on thousands of doors telling voters that they were going to represent their values, right. And now they would be asked in January to vote for (Speaker-designee) Jon Patterson, who voted against the SAFE Act that prohibits transgender surgeries on minors,” Sparks says.
Representative Sparks complains Patterson voted against initiative petition reform. Representative Sparks is also critical of Representative Patterson’s record on guns:
“Jon Patterson is the guy that keeps the Second Amendment bills from coming up after the Chiefs victory parade,” Rep. Sparks tells listeners.
The new Missouri House speaker will be elected by the full 163-member House in early January. That includes the chamber’s Democrats.
You can listen to Gary’s full interview with Representative Sparks here.
