Rep. Dean won the race for House District 132, defeating Russ Gosselin 62% to 38% in unofficial results.
Dean first won election to the Missouri House in 2024. He said on the House of Representatives website that he is passionate about urban development and poverty prevention. He also advocates for the LGBTQIA+ community and the underprivileged as a community activist.
Dean was sanctioned by the House in 2026 for obscene text messages he sent to his colleague State Representative Cecelie Williams. He publicly apologized afterwards, according to reporting from the Missouri Independent.
He has sponsored several pieces of legislation during his time in Jefferson City, including a bill that prohibits certain mental health professionals from engaging in conversion therapy with minors and another that requires members of the General Assembly to be present in a hearing when a bill they sponsor is being heard.
He told the Informed Voter Coalition in September that his number one priority would be cost of living. When he was out knocking on doors ahead of the election, he said he heard from his constituents that the cost of living is out of control.
"Whether we're talking about housing, groceries, insurance, your ability to afford childcare, the costs are going up higher (than) what people are able to afford," he said. "And we've really got to do what we can to bring down those costs."
He also said he would work for more affordable, safer and accessible housing, especially in northwest Springfield. Another priority, he said, is working to ensure that every child as access to a quality public education. And he said he'd work to make sure that "people can make their own decisions in life, whether that's who they love, the health care that they receive, what they do in their own home, the religion that they practice. It's simply not the government's job to control people's everyday life. And so, I will continue to fight for that."
He also added that he would push for paid sick leave and abortion and workers' rights.
Russ Gosselin is new to politics. He has worked with Convoy of Hope and founded Elevate Lives when he lived in Colorado Springs, CO. It’s a nonprofit that connects individuals and families with housing, mentorship, life skills and community support, according to Gosselin’s campaign website. He brought the concept to Springfield by opening the Elevate Center, which houses four organizations under one roof. It’s located in the former Robberson Community School on E. Kearney.
In an interview with the Informed Voter Coalition at the KSMU Studios, he said his priorities would include helping people to better their lives financially. He said he'd work toward more affordable housing and better schools.
"So, especially in north Springfield, but across Missouri, we have a lot of people that really want to better their lives. They're wanting to end up having more finances by which to function so they're not on the edge," he said. "They want better schools. They want — because they want their kids to be prepared for life, all of these things are real practical things that I've experienced by sitting across the table from people."
"So, my focus is going to be on, first of all, getting to the bottom of where things really are, because there are some pathways that are not being communicated to the people in the district that I want to represent," said Gosselin, "and we'll work hard at making sure that takes place, but then also looking for what are the couple (of) stepping stones that need to end up being put in place to make it easier for people to better their lives? And then and then, quite frankly, making sure that there isn't any obstacles that are pushing back on people that really want to move their families forward in a, in a very healthy way."