State Rep. candidates debate

Two challengers for Missouri’s House District 154 seat laid out their approaches to taxes, local development, and social issues during a debate hosted and moderated by Howell County News. Incumbent Representative Lisa Durnell issued a public statement on her campaign Facebook page on June 3 declining to participate in this event. Despite a standing invitation up and including the night of the event, Durnell did not appear. Her campaign hosted an event the same night in West Plains. 

 

Wednesday’s debate proceeded between Durnell’s two challengers. Republican Travis Smith and Democrat JoJo Stewart opened the evening by presenting themselves as advocates for rural Missouri. Smith described himself as a former legislator, small business owner, coach, and longtime public servant who would bring experience and relationships back to Jefferson City. Stewart, a lifelong area resident and grassroots organizer, said she entered the race because communities like Howell County have been left behind by state policy and need a representative focused on public schools, infrastructure, health care access, mental health and housing.

 

The first audience question pressed Smith on his 2021 vote to raise Missouri’s fuel tax. Smith, who served two terms in District 155, defended the vote as necessary for rural roads, saying counties such as Ozark and Douglas badly needed infrastructure funding and that the tax brought significant new revenue to local governments. Stewart countered that Missouri voters had already rejected a fuel tax increase and said lawmakers should not override the will of the people.

 

On proposed Constitutional Amendments, Stewart said she supported renewal of an existing conservation-related tax but opposed measures she said would weaken voter power or shift local county issues onto the state. Smith said he supported Amendments 1 and 2, expressed concern that Missouri’s Constitution is too easy to amend, though his campaign messaging has been consistently pro-Amendment 4. He urged voters to reject Amendment 5 unless they pay $10,000 or more in state income taxes, warning that most residents could pay more taxes overall. 

 

Campaign finance and transparency drew multiple questions aimed at Smith. Responding to a question about campaign finance reporting, Smith said Missouri’s Ethics Commission system gives voters strong access to campaign finance information and offered to help residents navigate the website. He also defended his fundraising, saying his 2024 run for State Senate was expensive because of the office. Representative races are on different scale. The support his campaign has received from Jefferson City or PACs reflects confidence in his ability to work in the Capitol, he said. Stewart said she serves as her own treasurer, keeps detailed records, files limited-activity reports only when little is happening, and believes large amounts of money in politics create opportunities for corruption, summarizing, “My campaign is broke.”

 

Both candidates said the district needs a representative who will be present and engaged in Jefferson City. Asked about projects such as Provalus, Smith said “showing up matters,” and promised to answer calls personally, work with state agencies and advocate for District 154 directly. Stewart said advocacy is a basic duty of the job and said she would work across party lines to bring jobs and investment home.

 

Tax relief was another point of agreement in principle, though the candidates differed on specifics. Stewart pointed to income-based tax reform she said could help working-class residents and argued the state spends too much money in the wrong places. Smith said Missouri has a spending problem, not a revenue problem, and called for regular reviews of state programs, elimination of waste and a stronger economy to reduce the tax burden without cutting essential services.

 

Questions about artificial intelligence, data centers and broadband brought some of the clearest contrasts. Smith called AI a tool that can be useful in health care, education, agriculture, manufacturing and government efficiency, but said he does not support large-scale data centers in the Ozarks. He believes residents deserve a voice before such projects move forward. Stewart rejected both AI and data centers full stop, saying AI undermines human creativity and is unreliable, while data centers pose environmental concerns.

 

On broadband, Stewart criticized what she described as predatory service practices and said existing internet funding should be tapped more effectively. Smith said broadband is essential, pointed to his work with White River Electric on rural access as the District 155 rep, and said newer technologies such as low-earth-orbit satellite systems could help connect residents without asking taxpayers to shoulder unnecessary costs.

 

Social issues produced some of the evening’s strongest responses. Asked about religious liberty and concerns over a hypothetical mosque in West Plains, Smith said First Amendment rights are important but warned against allowing outside groups to change a community’s way of life. Stewart emphasized the First Amendment, the separation of church and state, and respect for neighbors, saying fears of migrants taking over Howell County were unfounded.

 

The candidates also split on voter-approved measures related to life/choice issues and paid sick leave. Stewart said she would not support overturning measures passed by Missouri voters. Smith said he would support overturning them, citing his “100% pro-life” position and concerns from small business owners about the impact of paid sick leave requirements.

 

Both candidates expressed concern about Flock cameras and privacy. Stewart said the technology evokes “Big Brother” and should not be used while abuses continue to make news. Smith said the cameras can help solve crimes and locate abducted children, but only with criminal penalties for misuse, strict access limits, audit trails and limits on data retention.

 

Education questions closed the debate. Smith said senior citizens should not be taxed out of their homes and pointed to legislation during his time in the House freezing property taxes for seniors as a starting point. Stewart said the state should more fully fund public schools to ease reliance on local property taxes. Asked about administrator salaries, Stewart said administrators carry heavy responsibilities, but salaries should reflect the local cost of living. Smith said taxpayers deserve transparency and that schools need relief from mandates so teachers and administrators can focus on students.

 

In closing, Stewart said voters would find more common ground than difference and asked them to make their own decision rather than be pushed. Smith framed the office as customer service for the state, saying he wants constituents to know someone in Jefferson City will answer when they call.

 

Primary election day is Tuesday, August 4. Smith and Durnell will be on a Republican ballot. Stewart is the only Democrat running. The winner of the August primary will face Stewart in the general election in November. 

There is no exit poll data on this race because of the incumbent’s failure to appear. However, an online reader poll is ongoing and can be found at howellcountynews.com/polls.