Pettis County Democrats logo - horizontal white
VOTE NO ON Amendments 4 & 5, Pettis County Democrats

MEET YOUR LOCAL CANDIDATES

Rene Vance for MO House District 52

A Lifetime of Service, A New Mission for Missouri

Rene Vance for MO House District 52“My uniform has changed over the years, but my oath to protect and serve the people of this community has never wavered.”

From maintaining jet engines to serving our local community, my entire life has been defined by duty, hard work, and a commitment to others. In 1978, I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, breaking barriers as an Aerospace Ground Equipment Mechanic and instructor. After nearly 18 years of dedicated service across the USAF, Reserves, and Air National Guard, I retired medically in 1992.

As a civilian, I have lived the working-class experience. I’ve rolled up my sleeves as a school bus driver, substitute teacher, correctional officer, farmhand, and retail manager. I know firsthand what it takes to earn a paycheck and stretch a household budget.

Since making Sedalia my home in 2016, I have dedicated myself to giving back to Pettis County. I serve as a board member for the Sedalia Senior Center, personally deliver meals to homebound seniors, and serve as the program director for our local NAACP chapter. To transition into a more active role for our community, I recently stepped down as a Silver Hair Representative to run for Missouri State Representative for District 52.

As a veteran, the mother of a Navy sailor, and a grandmother, I am not a career politician—I am a fixer, a listener, and a patriot. I have spent a lifetime doing the work, and I am ready to bring that practical, disciplined leadership to Jefferson City to advocate for our seniors, working families, and veterans.

Learn More

Mike Walbom for MO House District 57

Michael Walbom candidate for Missouri House District 57Mike Walbom is a retired United States Air Force veteran and Democratic candidate for the Missouri House of Representatives. Originally from Ohio, he served in the U.S. Air Force for more than two decades, from 1986 until his retirement in 2010. After his military career, he settled in Knob Noster, Missouri, and completed a graduate degree at the University of Central Missouri. Outside his military background, Walbom has been involved in local civic engagement and grassroots organizing, serving as a township committeeman and Vice President of the Johnson County Democrats. These experiences shape his focus on public service and local leadership.
 
Mike’s platform centers primarily on reproductive freedom, economic protections for working families, and state fiscal policy. In candidate questionnaires, he cited defending women’s access to healthcare and reproductive rights as a core motivation for seeking legislative office. On economic issues, he supports initiatives to raise the minimum wage and expand paid leave protections, arguing that wages should ensure workers can adequately support themselves. Additionally, during legislative candidate panels, Walbom has opposed proposals to eliminate the state income tax, arguing that doing so would risk destabilizing state revenues, impacting public services, and disproportionately burdening vulnerable residents. These positions align with the service-oriented priorities reflected in his background.

Mike McCaffree for State Senate SD28

Mike McCaffree candidate for Missouri State Senate SD 28Mike McCaffree grew up in Nevada, Missouri, where he built his career, raised his family, and established a successful business. A 1987 graduate of Nevada High School and a 1991 graduate of Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, Mike returned home and built a career helping families and businesses invest in their communities through real estate.

Mike married Julia in 1998. Together, they raised five children and built their life in Nevada.

Those experiences taught Mike that state government works best when it supports local communities instead of standing in their way.

If elected, Mike will work to strengthen public education by listening to parents, teachers, and local school leaders. Mike will support efforts to expand housing opportunities by improving infrastructure and encouraging responsible growth throughout the district. He will also fight to preserve access to quality healthcare so families can receive care close to home.

Mike believes the people of Missouri’s 28th District deserve a representative who lives, works, and raises a family in rural Missouri. Mike will take the values, concerns, and common sense of rural Missouri to Jefferson City and fight to make sure the district’s voice is heard.

Learn More

Jordan Herrera for U.S. Congress, Missouri’s 4th District

“Wake Up the Neighbors.“
 
Jordan Herrera candidate for U.S. Senate 4th DistrictI am not running for Congress because I always dreamed of holding office. I’m running because the fire is already burning and someone has to call it out. Someone has to wake up the neighbors.
 
From the age of five until I was twelve, I lived in a house where violence was not an isolated incident; it was the atmosphere. My childhood was broken glass and shouted threats. My job, as a child, was to stop the fights when I could. And when I failed, I ran. Barefoot. In snow. On pavement. Through the night. Until I could find a phone. Until I could find help. Until I could wake up the damn neighbors.
 
That instinct never left me. When people are hurting, I move. When systems fail, I step in. When leadership is absent, I lead. And when those in power can act but fail to do so, I will. Because I have lived through the wreckage of neglect, indifference, and policy failure. I’ve carried burdens that no child should bear, and I’ve turned that pain into purpose.

At 19, I joined the Air Force, served under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” deployed in wartime, and led airmen through crises. I learned leadership, the importance of integrity, and how to act under pressure. After my service, I became a lawyer and advocated for veterans, survivors, and the Constitution. I’ve defended Missouri in court and fought for civil rights and accountability.
But I’ve also seen what happens when our leaders stop doing the job. I’ve seen politicians offer slogans instead of solutions, corporate interests shape laws, and families struggle with costs, debt, and lack of care.

I’ve lived and fought through these challenges. Now I’m running because we deserve real change, not just survival. I am fighting for the America I swore an oath to defend. For a government that works for the people who built it and not for billionaires who exploit it. For a politics grounded not in profit, but in principle.
 
This campaign is about delivering real, tangible solutions:
  • Lowering the cost of living—so families don’t have to choose between rent and food.
  • Rebuilding the middle class – because dignity should be affordable.
  • Restoring accountability—so government serves the people again.
I am fighting for the student drowning in debt. For the child in a violent home. For the veteran facing addiction. For the mother rationing insulin. For the father priced out of his neighborhood. For the forgotten, the overlooked, the underestimated. Because I’ve been all of them.

“Wake up the neighbors” is not a slogan. It’s my life. It’s a call to courage, to service, and to action. It means standing up when others stay silent. It means knowing that injustice doesn’t fix itself; people do.
 
This is your wake-up call.
 
This is not just a campaign. It is a movement. It is a fire carried forward by the people who know what it means to be burned and still choose to rise. I’m not asking for your vote out of tradition; I’m asking because I believe the people are ready to reclaim their power. I’m not here to play politics. I’m here to get to work.
 
Let’s wake the neighbors.
Learn More