Filing for the Aug. 4 primary election closed March 31, and with 15 Audrain County candidates seeking a spot on the ballot, contested races at both the county and state levels have emerged.

At the county level, there are contested races for county clerk and treasurer.

Stacey Higbee, Brandie Gay and Heather Lierheimer are running for Audrain County clerk. Lisa Smith and Tiffnay Burts are running for treasurer.

Incumbents Alan Winders, presiding commissioner; Teresa Allen, recorder of deeds; Amy LeCount, collector of revenue; Meagan Miller, circuit clerk; Melissa Buckman Young, associate circuit judge; and Jacob Shellabarger, prosecuting attorney, all filed for their respective seats on opening day, Feb. 24.

Higbee, Gay, Smith and Burts also filed on opening day. Lierheimer filed on March 23.

All candidates who have filed in countywide races are Republicans.

Statewide, three Audrain County residents are running for the Missouri Senate in the 18th District, representing communities across Adair, Audrain, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Schuyler, Scotland and Shelby counties.

Dusty Blue, of Mexico, filed for the Republican seat on Feb. 24. He will be running against fellow Republican candidates Ed Lewis, of Moberly, and Greg Sharpe, of Ewing, in the Aug. 4 primary.

The Democratic candidates are two Audrain County residents — Nick Miller, of Mexico, and John Leykamp, of Centralia. The contested race emerged late, as Miller filed March 23 and Leykamp filed March 31.

These candidates are seeking to fill the seat currently held by Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin, who is term-limited.

Mexico residents Brendan Webber and Rich Gold filed to run for Missouri House of Representatives in the 43rd District representing communities across Audrain, Monroe and Callaway counties. Webber filed as a Republican on Feb. 24, and Gold filed as a Democrat on March 30. Both candidates are seeking to fill the seat currently held by Rep. Kent Haden, who is term-limited.

Candidate overview

Higbee has worked in the county clerk’s office for seven years. For the past two years, she has served as deputy clerk, assisting Smith with various election tasks.

Gay currently serves as the city clerk for the City of Vandalia. Prior to that, she spent 11 years working for M&M Vehicle Corp in Mexico, working under the direction of Chris and Vivian Miller.

Lierheimer is a lifelong Audrain County resident who served in the Audrain County Clerk’s office from late 2018 to 2023. She is currently the payroll coordinator for Boone County Human Resources & Risk Management.

Smith has served as Audrain County clerk for eight years. During her tenure, she has served as budget officer and election authority.

Burts has worked for Audrain County for 10 years, during which she served as the Road and Bridge clerk and administrative assistant to the county commission for Road and Bridge. For the last three years she has worked in the County Clerk's Office.

Webber is the owner of Webber Pharmacy and Jackson Street Drug, a director of the Griffin Family Foundation and a member of the Missouri Pharmacy Association legislative committee. He also served as Mexico Area Family YMCA board director and president and remains active with the organization.

Blue is the owner of Expert Roofing & Exteriors in Mexico and a U.S. Army veteran who served with the 101st Airborne Division. He is also the host of “The Dusty Blue Show.”

Gold is a 20-year retired U.S. Navy veteran and owns the Budget Inn of Mexico. He also serves as president of the Mexico Tourism Commission.

Incumbents

Winders has served as presiding commissioner since 2021 after he was appointed by Gov. Mike Parson. Prior to that, he served as Audrain County Eastern District commissioner since 2017 and was Vandalia’s city administrator for 14 years.

Allen, a lifelong resident of Audrain County, was elected Audrain County recorder of deeds in 2022 after her former supervisor and recorder Janis Deimeke retired.

LeCount replaced former collector Kate Becker, who retired in March 2023. Prior to that, she was the chief deputy collector for six years.

Meagan Miller, a Mexico resident, replaced Penny Creed, who served as circuit clerk for 24 years. Prior to her election, Miller worked for the Audrain County Circuit Clerk’s Office part time as a student in 2007 and accepted a full-time position after high school.

Young was appointed to the position in February 2024 by Gov. Mike Parson. As the county’s sole associate circuit judge, she handles civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile cases and oversees compliance dockets for domestic violence and child support probation.

Shellabarger has served as the county’s prosecutor since July 2009, when he was appointed by Gov. Jay Nixon. Shellabarger’s office files approximately 1,000 criminal cases each year in addition to reviewing hundreds of investigations and issuing approximately 800 traffic citations.