Barbara Phifer
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barbara Phifer is an American politician and former United Methodist pastor who was a Democratic member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 2021 to 2025, representing the 90th district.[1] She was the Democratic candidate in the 2024 Missouri Secretary of State election.
Barbara Phifer | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 90th district | |
| In office January 6, 2021 – January 8, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Deb Lavender |
| Succeeded by | Mark Boyko |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Thomas |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Cornell College (BA) Oklahoma City University (MDiv) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Early life and education
Born in Washington, D.C., Phifer is a graduate of Cornell College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and history in 1977. She then attended St. Paul School of Theology at Oklahoma City University, where she received a master's degree in theology in 1980.[2][3]
Career
Phfier has served as a United Methodist pastor for over 40 years.[4] Her preaching career included a five-year stint in Montevideo, Uruguay under a dictatorship, an experience which she said gave her "an understanding of the dangers of authoritarianism, which is what I see in the [Republican] party right now".[2] Along with her criticism of Donald Trump, Phifer ran on a platform of expanding Medicaid, improving public education, and supporting gun control and social justice issues such as women's and LGBTQ rights.[2][5]
Phifer had not thought about entering politics until after retiring from preaching, but decided to run for the seat vacated by Deb Lavender who was running for state Senate.[2] In 2020, Phifer defeated her Republican opponent in the general election for Missouri's 90th state House district.[6][7]
In March 2024, Phifer announced her candidacy for Missouri Secretary of State in front of the Jefferson City Missouri River Regional Library. She criticized book banning efforts in Missouri and expressed a commitment to neutral ballot language.[8] She lost the race to Denny Hoskins.[9]
Personal life
Phifer lives in Kirkwood, Missouri with her husband Thomas, and has five children and seven grandchildren.[2][4][10][3]
Electoral history
Phifer had no opponents in the Democratic primary elections for the Missouri House of Representatives, winning the party nomination by default each time.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Barbara Phifer | 13,858 | 56.72% | −43.28 | |
| Republican | Anne Landers | 10,575 | 43.28% | +43.28 | |
| Total votes | 24,433 | 100.00% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Barbara Phifer | 11,355 | 62.56% | +5.84 | |
| Republican | Gary Albert Bokermann, Jr. | 6,795 | 37.44% | −5.84 | |
| Total votes | 18,150 | 100.00% | |||
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 30–40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Barbara Phifer | 146,284 | 40.86 | |
| Democratic | Monique Williams | 123,270 | 34.43 | |
| Democratic | Haley Jacobsen | 88,491 | 24.72 | |
| Total votes | 358,045 | 100.00 | ||