the run off for the 139th

so lets see if I have this right. Shane Schoeller is a political insider, and has the support of Republican bigwigs Darrell and Dinette Proctor of Willard.
Karen Roark(Brad's mom)put her name on the ballot and NO one knows why except for maybe Karen. Both of these people were NO SHOWS @ the Families for Change political candidate forum.
My personal favorite is Joe Pyles. WHY because I met him at the above mentioned forum and he seems like a reasonable Republican. Yes he is the classic underdog just like I will be during the general election.
Personally having experience in politics is the reason why most people distrust government, and they should since past experience has proven not to be of any value.

I wonder if KY 3 will send out a reporter to cover me when I start walking door to door to introduce myself to the voters of this district. I'm not well known even to my neighbors, however that will change in the next few months as I am going to try to make inroads in an area well known for voting for the status quo of government.

One thing is for certain no matter how much the 3 republican candidates differ on the issues, they will walk in lockstep come election time. Some will say my tone is HARSH, however I live in REALITY and even the most social republican will walk in lockstep with the most conservative republican over 90% of the time, excluding one, Ron Paul, TX HoR district 14. A man with principles, charisma, and a firm understanding of the Constitution. Since I have started following politics this man has been my guiding light in times of dispair, and political mayhem.

#139 SCHOELLER: A TEST OF PARTY POWER
Some Republicans believe Shane Schoeller's success or failure Tuesday will be a test of how strong the party regulars remain in local politics. Privately, some G.O.P. insiders are just baffled about the candidacy of Karen Roark, Rep. Brad Roark's mother. When I asked one Republican resident in the #139th if she was qualified to be a lawmaker, he replied, "don't ask me that."

Many of the committee people in the 139th threw their support to Schoeller early on, and haven't even heard from Roark yet. "I've never even talked to her," said one party official. "She's made no effort to contact me."

The theory goes that Schoeller is stronger in the western end of the district, while Roark will perform better in the eastern part. "She obviously gets a lot just from the name. You see a lot of Brad's signs and a lot of her signs, real close to each other" says one Republican.

"I think Schoeller will pull it off in the end," says the #139th party official. "But it will be a real test to see if the party rank and file make a difference in picking and endorsing candidates anymore."



posted by David Catanese

Shane Schoeller Aims To End Roark Legacy
Republicans privately say this was supposed to be the year Shane Schoeller finally got his due, easily cruising to the G.O.P. nomination in the 139th legislative district.

But now Schoeller is locked in a 3-way primary race, where one of his opponents carries a popular political name in the district.

Schoeller is running against Karen Roark, Rep. Brad Roark's mother, and media consultant Joe Pyles.

I got to catch up with Schoeller today as he was going door-to-door in the 139th. Refreshingly, Schoeller wouldn't say anything even close to disparaging about either of his G.O.P. rivals. He seems not to hold a grudge or take anything for granted. Instead, he focused on issues and experience.

"The main difference is experience. I have it on the federal, state and local level," Schoeller said referring to his work for John Ashcroft, Kit Bond and both Matt and Roy Blunt.

"Karen Roark is running a good race. Joe Pyles is a nice man, very friendly," Schoeller said.

Schoeller said he spoke to Rep. Brad Roark about his mother running and said there were no hard feelings on either side. "I said to Brad, that's what's great about our country. Anybody can run," Schoeller recalled.

Just a note . . . I have contacted several top G.O.P. officials about ways to get in touch with Karen Roark to get her views. I have not received calls back yet. Any tips on how to get in touch with Ms. Roark would be greatly appreciated. Maybe I'm just bad at tracking down campaign sites?

Regarding Pyles, Schoeller said he believes he is more conservative than Pyles. "I think Joe may be a little more moderate than I am. I don't know if that's the message for this district. It's fairly conservative."

Here's Schoeller on the issues:

Medicaid Cuts - He'd vote to reinstate the MAWD program for working people with disabilities, but wouldn't say the Medicaid cuts went too far. "I think it is a smart investment to give the working disabled a chance to work. Anytime you have reforms, unfortunate things happen, I understand that."

Special Session - He'd only support a special session to reinstate Medicaid if it was held during the veto session so it wouldn't cost taxpayers any extra money.

Minimum Wage Hike - He said he'd only support a minimum wage hike as part of a larger package that would include tax breaks for businesses. "That's the only circumstance I'd support it," Schoeller said.

Stem Cell Amendment - He is against the stem cell initiative because he said it's a controversial proposal that destroys human life. "It's not a smart choice for Missouri. I certainly believe an embryo is a human life. Adult stem cells offer so much more results." What about embryos that are going to be discarded anyway? Schoeller is against using any type of embryos for research. "Once you do that, you hit a slippery slope. My position is firm on these issues."

License Fee Office Reform - This may be a touchy topic for Schoeller because his wife operates a fee office in Nixa. He said he does not yet have a position on Rep. Mark Wright's plan to change the way the offices are awarded and run. "I haven't taken a position, I'd have to see the details but so much has been mischaracterized about these license offices. Unfortunately it has become an issue, but for me it is already out there. My wife has one office in Nixa, but we didn't ask for it. We were approached about running it and I encouraged my wife to do it. People rarely ask me about it, most aren't interested in it."

Biggest Issue for #139 Voters - Iraq . . . You read it right, Iraq. Of all the issues Schoeller hears about, he said he gets the most questions, comments and concern about the war. As a potential state lawmaker, Schoeller obviously doesn't have much control over that issue, but he said that's what people want to talk about. "People have a lot of different opinions, but overall they want victory, a conclusion, some type of closure."

Here's his campaign website . . . http://www.electschoeller.com/
I appreciate the heads-up on it. As much as I googled and tried other searches, I couldn't find it.

Schoeller said while Roark has name identification, his biggest strength is organization. "I feel like I've done all the things necessary to win this race," Schoeller said. But he admits that getting people energized about voting in the middle of vacation season is difficult. "It's very hard in a primary. I hear people all the time say, 'When's that election again?,'" Schoeller said.

Of all the politicians he has worked for Schoeller said he's learned the most from his four years serving as a legislative aide to Rep. Roy Blunt. "He helped me set priorities and figure out what can and can't be done," Schoeller said. "I learned the most important thing is keeping your word to people. If you can't help them, you have to tell them that. It's better to tell them instead of telling them you'll look into it and you never get back to them. People will respect that," Schoeller said.

posted by David Catanese

Can Joe Pyles Pull An Upset in the 139th?
Can a candidate for a higher minimum wage, for the stem cell ballot initiative, supportive of restoring Medicaid cuts for the working disabled and revamping the license fee offices really win a northern Greene County G.O.P primary?

That's what Joe Pyles is trying to do in the 139th.

The Republican primary for the 139th legislative district includes three candidates, Shane Schoeller, Joe Pyles and Karen Roark. I couldn't find campaign websites for Schoeller or Roark, so Pyles gets the only web profile for now.

On his campaign website, Pyles tries to make the case that he's the only candidate in this race that is serious about representing the 139th. "I didn't move to the 139th to run for office or file on the last day. I am not part of any political machine," Pyles writes.

A Fair Grove resident, Pyles has served on the West Plains city council and fought in Operation Desert Storm. He's now a media consultant, so it's not surprising he has a website. He talks about bringing "political attention" to northern Greene County, by holding community meetings and town hall events. His list of issues include noting his "pro-life, anti-gun control" stands, but his positions on hot-button topics like Medicaid and stem cells do stand out above all. You certainly don't see those positions on the campaign websites of many Republicans running in southwest Missouri.

Still, he seems to reject the label of a "progressive or moderate." We gave him that label in a previous entry. And he's responded on his site. "The media tries to label Joe as a progressive, moderate. He just reminds you that he is just a human being that's offering his services to represent all parties, all views."

Pyles is attempting to reach out to moderate Republicans and even Democrats. He says he's chosen the Republican party because it best governs free enterprise, prevents government intervention and doesn't find ways to raise taxes. But Pyles promises he'll listen to Democratic ideas respectfully and work with the other side effectively.

Pyles also tries to take the populist approach when it comes to money, pledging that while he may be outraised and outspent, it won't matter. He says he has a "conservative budget" of $45,750 to spend on this race. On the donation part of the site, he recommends an $80 contribution for a primary victory . . . and a $110 contribution for a general election win.

I haven't seen any evidence of where this primary race stands, but insiders say Karen Roark will be the favorite just because of her name. That means if Pyles is able to pull off a win this primary night, it would be one of the big stories of election night.


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Tom Martz(L)
candidate for the 139th