Missouri Democrat flips deep red 97th House District blue in tremendous victory for working families

Mike Revis, who ran on a pro-worker platform, credits Labor community for getting him across the finish line

By SHERI GASSAWAY
Correspondent

Fenton Democrat Mike Revis made national headlines recently by flipping a key Missouri House seat in a district that President Donald Trump won by 28 points in the 2016 election. It’s the 35th legislative seat Democrats have flipped nationally since Trump’s inauguration.

Revis, who said he was motivated to run by last year’s passage of so-called “right-to-work” legislation, won the Feb. 6 special election for the District 97 seat with 52 percent of the vote over his Republican contender. The seat was left vacant by worker-friendly Republican John McCaherty who resigned in September.

Revis, who comes from a long line of union family members, said he received tremendous support from union members throughout his campaign. The Saturday before the election, union volunteers stepped up and made the difference, mobilizing more than 130 volunteers for a door-to-door literature drop.

‘LABOR GOT US ACROSS THE FINISH LINE’

“The number of volunteers who showed up for the literature drop was unbelievable,” Revis said. “Labor re-energized the movement so we could win together, and I am so appreciative of that. I know that’s what got us across the finish line.”

St. Louis Labor Council President Pat White commended the Labor community on its efforts at last week’s St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council meeting.

BOOTS ON THE GROUND

“Labor got out there with boots on the ground and knocked on doors, and we were able to flip a deep red district in the 97th that had been Republican for eight years with 52 percent of the vote, and I know a lot of you had a lot to do with that,” he said.

Mike Louis, president of the Missouri AFL-CIO, also thanked everyone who helped in the campaign. He said the win was a “stunning rebuke of ‘right-to-work’ and the continuing attack on Missouri working people.”

VICTORY FOR WORKING FAMILIES

“This was a victory for working families in that district,” Louis said. “When working people are presented the facts and voting records, they make the best choice for representatives who will represent them and their issues.”

Missouri Democratic Party Chair Stephen Webber said the win shows once again there’s a new rush of energy behind Democrats in Missouri who are committed to showing up and fighting for working families in every corner of the state.

“Missouri’s grassroots just sent a loud and clear message to the Republican establishment in Jefferson City: It’s time to stop prioritizing millionaire donors and ignoring corruption while leaving the economic interests of working families in the dust,” he said.

‘WE ARE COMING FOR YOUR SEAT’

State Rep. Peter Merideth (D-St. Louis), who leads the Democrats’ House Victory Committee, agreed, telling the Kansas City Star the results will “echo through the halls of the Capitol and send a message to every Republican incumbent – if you keep putting special interests over the people of Missouri, we are coming for your seat.”

During the Feb. 6 special election, four Missouri House seats were up for grabs in deep red districts 39, 97, 129 and 144 and each had a Democratic contender. That’s in stark contrast to the 2016 election when those districts had no Democratic challengers.

IMPRESSIVE PROGRESS

While Revis was the only Democrat to win in the special election, White noted that Democratic candidate Jim Scaggs made impressive progress in the District 144 race.

“What was also promising, though we didn’t win in the 144th District where Jim Scaggs was running, we only lost by six percent, or 299 votes,” White said. “We had a 53-percent swing back toward the Democrats from 2016. That’s a huge swing.”

UNION ROOTS

Revis, a procurement manager at Anheuser-Busch, comes from a long line of union family members. His father recently retired from Carpenters Local 97 after 40 years in the trade and his mother and sister are union teachers at Rockwood Summit High School. His maternal grandfather and three uncles were union carpenters with a combined 200 years of experience in the trade.

In addition to defending the rights of working people, Revis’ goals include supporting public education, standing with first responders and veterans, opposing cuts to healthcare and senior services and attracting more quality jobs for Missouri.