House District 59 candidates differ on big issues of Proposition A and public education funding

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The candidates running to take over a seat currently held by term-limited State Rep. Rudi Veit (R-Wardsville) have different viewpoints on the state's congressional map controversy and how to properly fund public education.

Two candidates are running to fill the House District seat. The Republican candidate is former Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin, and the Democratic candidate is longtime Cole County resident Becky Kroll.

House District 59 covers much of Cole County, with parts of Jefferson City.

Proposition A will ask Missouri voters Tuesday if they approve the "Missouri First" map approved by Republican legislators last year amid a White House push for more GOP congressional seats. Legal battles over congressional maps have followed, and critics call the map "gerrymandered" in favor of Republicans.

Tergin said that while going door-to-door to campaign, she has heard opposition for both the 2025 and 2022 maps.

"I've heard people who truly believe in it. I've also heard people with concerns saying that the size of the district is it really, truly representing everyone's best interests," Tergin said. "So right now, I'm hearing really both at the doors."

Kroll said both maps were gerrymandered and that placing District 59 in the same U.S. House District with St. Louis or Kansas City is not something she is thrilled about.

"I don't know a whole lot about Kansas City, but I do know this: I don't know enough about Kansas City to make decisions on who is going to be running the district, including Kansas City," Kroll said. "I think that the 2022 map is the more fair of the two maps, although with a slight disclaimer that that one is also heavily, heavily gerrymandered, so, not a fan of the 2022 map, but I'm more of a fan of the 2022 map than the 2025 one."

Public education funding

Tergin said the district has strong public schools.

"We have a lot of people at stake, from our students and the teachers and the parents and our school facilities and administrators are so much and the different types of schools that we have, so we really want to work together to keep our education strong," Tergin said. "That's what attracts people to our areas, and we have strong schools in the district, but we want to make sure that we maintain that."

For Kroll, public education funding is one of her top priorities, alongside rural healthcare. Funding for schools shouldn't be an easy place to make cuts, she said.

"There is a point where it's no longer just a transportation issue; it's not just tightening your belt, you're asking for them to lose teachers, lose staff, to lose support staff, to cut services," Kroll said. "We make a promise when we have a community that says we're going to make sure that we build the future, and education is the first step in that."

Check back later or watch ABC 17 News at 5 and 6 for more of this developing story.