Retiring U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-St. Elizabeth) will endorse former State Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia) in the race to succeed him on Capitol Hill. Eight Republicans have filed in the race, along with Democrats Bethany Mann of Wentzville and Andrew Daly of Fulton. One of Senator Schaefer’s primary opponents is former State Sen. Bob Onder (R-Lake St. Louis), who tells 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” that the one endorsement that matters is the one from GOP primary voters in the district in August. Missouri’s new third congressional district includes Columbia south of Broadway, Ashland, Jefferson City, California, Fulton, Kingdom City and Linn. It also includes Wentzville and O’Fallon. Senator Onder tells listeners that he believes he will win every county in the district in the primary, including Boone. That’s Schaefer’s home county. Senator Onder describes himself as a movement conservative, noting he was a Trump delegate twice at GOP national conventions. Onder describes Senator Schaefer as a “creature of the swamp”, comparing him to former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming). Senator Onder slammed Schaefer during the live interview, saying he thought he was representing “woke college professors” in the Missouri Senate, rather than rural constituents in Boone and Randolph and later Cooper counties. Senator Onder tells listeners that those rural residents are the ones that got Schaefer elected in 2008:
