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Senator Claire McCaskill -
United States Senate


Claire is a fourth-generation Missourian who has spent her entire life in the Show-Me State. Born in Rolla and raised in Lebanon and Columbia, Claire has never forgotten her roots. Claire's first home was Houston, Missouri, where her father William worked at the McCaskill feed mill. Later, the family moved to Lebanon, the hometown of Claire's mother, Betty Anne, where Betty Anne’s family ran the corner drugstore in town.
After another move, Claire attended Hickman High School in Columbia, while her father served as a state insurance commissioner, and her mother became Columbia's first woman city council member. At Hickman High School, Claire graduated near the top of her class and was very involved in student activities. Since she had already sewn many of her own clothes, Claire took an after-school job working in a fabric store.
The day after graduating from high school, Claire left town for a job busing tables at Lodge of the Four Seasons at Lake of the Ozarks to earn money for college. Waitressing for six years helped Claire work her way through college and law school at the University of Missouri - Columbia.
After graduating law school, Claire clerked for the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City, and then got a job as an assistant prosecutor in Kansas City, where she was a felony trial prosecutor handling sex crimes, homicides and specializing in arson cases.
In 1982, Claire won a seat in the Missouri State Legislature. She juggled the responsibilities of both mother and legislator and was the first woman to ever give birth while an active member of the Missouri State Legislature. As the only woman attorney in the Missouri General Assembly, she chaired the Civil and Criminal Justice Committee and passed numerous laws that impacted the justice system.
Claire broke new ground again in 1993 when she became the first female prosecutor for Jackson County, which included Kansas City. As head of the largest prosecutor's office in the state, she established many new programs, including a domestic violence unit and one of the nation's first Drug Courts. She held this position until she was sworn in as Missouri Auditor in 1999.
As Auditor, Claire brought an innovative approach to the office by adding performance audits to the traditional financial audits. During her years as auditor, Claire conducted performance audits on state programs, including child support enforcement and the Social Services Foster Care Program, Missouri's Child Abuse Hotline, child care facilities inspections and licensing, nursing homes, and animal care facilities (puppy mills). She also reviewed the state’s Sunshine Law, domestic violence shelters, student loans and college tuition rates in Missouri, and funding and accountability in public schools.
In 2004, Claire took on her own party establishment and became the first person to ever defeat a sitting Missouri governor in a primary election.
In November 2006, Claire became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri, vowing to bring Harry Truman's no-nonsense style of accountability back to Washington, D.C. It only seemed fitting that her place in the Senate chamber is a desk shared by none other than Sen. Truman himself. She was named as one of the select senators to sit on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, formerly known as the Truman Committee. In fact, one of Claire’s first major bills to pass in the Senate established a modern day Truman Committee called the Wartime Contracting Commission, charged with investigating wasteful, fraudulent and abusive contracts in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In addition to working to establish a committee to examine wartime contracting, in 2009 Claire was named chairman of a new subcommittee that investigates contracting abuses throughout the federal government. TheHomeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight strives to root out government waste by focusing on contracts and the means by which the federal government provides accountability to those contracts.
Claire currently sits on four Senate Committees, including Armed Services, Commerce, HSGAC and Aging. From those committees, she’s taken on: accountability and transparency, earmark reform, increased independence for Inspectors General (IG) that act as federal auditors, credit card regulations, security improvements to foreign repair stations that service our domestic aircraft, reforms to the reverse mortgage industry, consumer protections, and full benefits and resources for our brave veterans and wounded active service members.
After a busy week in Washington, D.C., Claire returns home to St. Louis to a full house. Following her first marriage, Claire spent seven years as a single mom before marrying Joseph Shepard, a St. Louis businessman, in April 2002. They each brought children to the marriage, which created a blended family that includes seven children: Benjamin, Carl, Marilyn, Michael, Austin, Maddie, and Lily. Claire has also been delighted to welcome five grandchildren to the family in recent years. Claire's mother Betty Anne lives with the family and continues to be a strong influence in Claire’s life.

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Mary Still -
Missouri's 25th House District


Mary Still is dedicated to being a strong voice for Columbia’s 25th District and for progressive issues.
Her career in public service has taught her how to fight for progressive change. She served as director of communications for Attorney General Jay Nixon for 10 years and policy adviser for the past three years, and from 2002 to 2004 she served as director of communications for Missouri Governor Bob Holden.


She is a champion of the University of Missouri, where she graduated from the School of Journalism and served as director of the MU News Bureau for eight years, promoting the land-grant mission of teaching, research and service.
She is married to Russell Still, a Columbia attorney and member of the Columbia School Board for nine years. They have two children, Allison and Susannah, who attended public schools in the 25th District – Benton Elementary School and Jefferson Junior High – and graduated from Hickman High School.
Mary credits the outstanding teachers in the Columbia public schools with her children’s success in college and now as they start their own careers and begin graduate school.
Mary has lived in District 25 for 24 years and has been active in school and community activities. She was a Girl Scout leader for 10 years; a Sunday School teacher; is chair of the administrative council of the Missouri United Methodist Church; and is a member of the Blind Boone Foundation, which is working to preserve the home and legacy of African-American Ragtime pioneer and Columbia leader J.W. “Blind” Boone. She is a member of the University of Missouri Jefferson Club and the Friends of the University of Missouri Library.
Mary began her career in journalism where she worked for newspapers in Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri. When she first moved back to Columbia after school, she began working in state government as the director of communications for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

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Judy Morgan -
Missouri's 39th House District


As a native of Kansas City, Missouri, my husband, Gene, and I have lived in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Midtown Kansas City for almost forty (40) years. We love where we live and appreciate all the wonderful neighborhoods in the 39th. District.
Growing up in south Kansas City I attended Christ the King Elementary and Hogan High School. I went on to college at UMKC and decided to pursue teaching as a career. In July of 1970, I married my college sweetheart, Gene.


One month later I began my first teaching assignment at Central High School in the Kansas City, Missouri School District. I went on to teach at Lincoln College Prep, earned my Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling, and then became a counselor at Northeast High School. I worked hard for my students and cared very deeply about them.
Throughout my teaching career, I was active in the American Federation of Teachers, Local 691. In 1999 I ran for President and won by a 2 to 1 margin. For ten (10) years I led my Union through challenging, but rewarding times. Two of my proudest accomplishments as Local 691 President were regaining state accreditation and successfully negotiating a contract for my membership every year.
Upon my retirement in 2009 I wanted to remain an active and busy woman. I'm passionate about legislation and have served as Missouri Legislative Chair for the Greater Kansas City Women’s Political Caucus, the Missouri Legislative Monitor for the MORE 2 Education Task Force, and the Legislative Chair on the AFT, Local 691 Executive Board. In addition I'm active in my community through service on many boards, including the Missouri Association of Social Welfare and KKFI, 90.1 FM.
I believe that my experiences and involvement have prepared me well for the next step in my life as Missouri State Representative. I'm ready to represent the interests of the 39th. District and be a strong voice for our constituents.
Gene and I are the proud parents of one daughter, Courtney, who married Roby Baker in the fall of 2010. Courtney and Roby live in St. Louis and work full-time as they finish their education. And we have just made a significant addition to our family – two miniature dachshund puppies by the names of Dylan and Leo.

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