Missouri's primary election ended Tuesday night, but some are wondering if the primary is actually finished, thanks to a decision Secretary of State Denny Hoskins made earlier in the day.
Hoskins' rejection of a redistricting referendum is bringing more attention to a seemingly unthinkable scenario: having to redo some of the state's congressional primaries.
If the Missouri Supreme Court reverses Hoskins and places the referendum up for a vote, it would mean that Tuesday's primaries were run on a map that never went into effect. What the remedy for that would be is unclear, especially since congressional candidates don't have to live in the district they represent.
But candidates who lost close primaries on Tuesday could argue that their races were affected by the map differences. And that could mean Tuesday's primary could stretch into September or October.
Here are six other major takeaways from the primary:
Money does matter in Missouri's 1st Congressional District race
One of the lingering questions about Tuesday's rematch between Congressman Wesley Bell and former Congresswoman Cori Bush was the impact of pro-Israel groups on the race.
Candidates critical of Israel had won contested primaries in places like New Jersey, New York, Colorado and Pennsylvania even when they were outspent. And Bush definitely fit that profile.
But Bell's convincing victory revealed another wrinkle in that analysis: Bush didn't have enough money to rebut ads from Bell or his allied groups. That meant anti-Bush messaging was basically unanswered everywhere, including on streaming services like Hulu that are becoming increasingly popular.
Whether it's Bush or someone else, future opponents of Bell will have to find a way to raise and spend money in a more effective manner – especially since the soon-to-be two-term congressman racked up enormous margins in St. Louis County, the population center of the 1st District.
Money could not salvage Amendment 5
Amendment 5's chances looked quite shaky before Tuesday, especially since GOP state legislative candidates were actively running away from a plan to raise and expand sales taxes as a way to do away with the income tax.
But Tuesday wasn't just a loss. Several political consultants said it was the worst defeat ever for a ballot initiative with an organized pro side. And given that millions were spent to help pass it, Amendment 5 could be the biggest electoral failure in Missouri's modern political history.
The fact that over 80% of voters rejected Amendment 5, including every county in the state, casts a pall on Gov. Mike Kehoe's political future, since this was one of the Republican's top policy priorities.
Some caught Amendment 5's wave while others drowned under it
Amendment 5's impact extended to contested Republican primaries.
Several candidates who openly opposed Amendment 5 won, including Rep. Greg Sharpe in the 18th Senate District and state Rep. Bryant Wolfin in the 145th District.
And the Senate handler of Amendment 5, Sen. Curtis Trent, lost his primary to Lori Rook in the state's 20th Senate District.
Democrats will almost certainly try to tie Amendment 5 negativity to GOP candidates. The House handler of the proposal, Speaker Jon Patterson, is running in a competitive general election for the 8th Senate District against Democratic state Rep. Keri Ingle.
Zimmerman put it together this time
St. Louis County Assessor Jake Zimmerman did not have an easy political path to Tuesday.
Before emerging victorious in the Democratic primary for St. Louis County executive, Zimmerman lost party races for attorney general and county executive. He was arguably the underdog against state Sen. Brian Williams, who had a solid campaign fund and endorsements from law enforcement groups.
But a combination of clever ads, some self-funding, endorsements from labor unions and backing of progressive political figures helped Zimmerman outflank Williams and state Sen. Angela Walton Mosley. And like Bush, Williams didn't seem to respond particularly effectively over the airwaves to Zimmerman's attacks.
Ehlmann's second thoughts turned out to be correct
St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann was initially going to retire after 2026. But he changed his mind when he said he didn't see another GOP candidate who could beat former state Sen. Bill Eigel in the race to succeed him.
Ehlmann was criticized for his decision, especially since there was another well-funded candidate, former Lake St. Louis Mayor Jason Law, in the contest.
But Ehlmann's choice turned out to be correct, as he ended up winning fairly convincingly – perhaps showing that having a lot of political experience also provides for sound political instincts.
St. Louis will only have one state senator
Former state Rep. Gina Mitten's win in the 4th District race means, since she has no GOP opponent, that there will only be one state senator from St. Louis after 2027.
The Richmond Heights resident shellacked state Rep. Steve Butz in the 4th District, which takes in portions of St. Louis and St. Louis County. Butz made Mitten's county residency an issue in the race, contending that he, a city resident, needed to be in the Senate alongside Steve Roberts.
But not only did Mitten win in the St. Louis County part of the district, she overwhelmingly won in St. Louis too. Some of it could have been issue differences, especially on abortion rights and state control of the city police department. Given that Mitten represented parts of the city for eight years when she was in the House, she already proved that a county resident can represent St. Louis. She'll get to do that again starting in 2027.
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