JEFFERSON CITY聽鈥 The chairman of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus is seeking a seat in the Missouri Senate.
Rep. Steve Roberts, a 蜜芽传媒 Democrat, said Tuesday he will run for the 5th District seat currently held by Sen. Jamilah Nasheed in the 2020 election.
Nasheed, also a Democrat, is term limited and cannot run again.
鈥淭he fifth district is the vibrant and exciting center of the region,鈥 said Roberts, who is in his second term as a member of the House. 鈥淚f elected, I would be honored to represent the district and its diverse population, and will work tirelessly to make sure all its people鈥檚 voices are heard.鈥
Roberts is the latest current or former House member to say he鈥檚 eyeing a move to the Legislature鈥檚 upper chamber.
Rep. Doug Beck, D-Affton, is running for the 1st Senate District post held by term-limited Sen. Scott Sifton. Republican Marsha Haefner, who now works for Gov. Mike Parson, also is listed as a potential candidate in that race.
People are also reading…
Democratic Reps. Tommie Pierson of 蜜芽传媒 and Alan Green of Florissant are raising money to run in the 13th Senate District currently held by Minority Leader Gina Walsh of Bellefontaine Neighbors. Walsh is term limited.
Democrat Mark Osmack has filed paperwork to run against state Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester in the 15th Senate District, which includes much of west 蜜芽传媒 County.
Osmack made an unsuccessful bid for Congress against Republican Ann Wagner in 2018.
Rep. Deb Lavender, D-Kirkwood, told the Post-Dispatch Tuesday that she decided over the weekend to run for the seat, setting up a Democratic primary if both she and Osmack stay in the race.
Rep. Chrissy Sommer, R-St. Charles, has filed to run in the St. Charles County district currently held by fellow Republican Sen. Bill Eigel of Weldon Spring.
Prior to winning a seat in the House, Roberts was a prosecutor in the 蜜芽传媒 circuit attorney鈥檚 office.
In the House, Roberts has been an advocate for criminal justice reform and economic development.
鈥淪ocial justice and economic development will continue to be a central focus in my campaign and, if I am elected, in my work as a state senator,鈥 Roberts said. 鈥淒uring my time as a prosecutor, I saw firsthand how the system can ensnare those who come into contact with it, especially low-income offenders and people of color.鈥
The district, a stronghold for Democrats, includes downtown 蜜芽传媒 and hugs the Mississippi River, stretching from Gimblin Road in the north to the River Des Peres in the south.
Roberts' announcement comes a week after he and a fellow lawmaker dropped their lawsuits stemming from an alleged sexual assault.
The actions leading to the suits began in September 2016 when Rep. Cora Faith Walker accused Roberts of sexually assaulting her in his apartment in 蜜芽传媒.
Roberts contended they had consensual sex and sued, accusing Walker of defamation, malicious prosecution and infliction of emotional distress.
Walker filed her own civil suit in January 2017. It denied Roberts鈥 defamation allegation and also accused Roberts of drugging and sexually assaulting her, and claimed that his civil suit was filed to inflict emotional distress.
Roberts also is聽being sued by a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her at a 蜜芽传媒 bar聽in 2015, when she was a law student.
Jack Suntrup of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
