What you need to know: Missouri Senate Race – District 9

By Sara Wiercinski

Derron Black will take on incumbent Barbara Anne Washington, who has held the Senate seat since 2021. District 9 encompasses parts of Kansas City east of Forest Ave / Troost Avenue, Hickman Mills and Raytown, and is one of four state Senate districts where African Americans are the majority population.

Derron Black

Black grew up in Kansas City and received his GED from Northwest Regional Youth Center. He received degrees from the University of Missouri Kansas City in liberal arts and political science, with a minor in economics. He has one son.

Black is running as a Republican. He ran as a Democrat in primary races in 2016 and 2020 for Missouri House of Representatives’ District 23, which represents northeast Kansas City.

Black’s campaign did not respond to The Telegraph’s request for an interview.

In an October 2 interview with KCUR, Black explained that his decision to switch parties was motivated by Democratic candidates’ failures to deliver lasting improvements to the community. Though the district boundaries have shifted, Black estimates that no Republican state senator has been elected in 50 years.

On October 16, the League of Women Voters of Kansas City hosted a multi-candidate video forum. There, Black indicated his Senate priorities are the continued revitalization of the 18th and Vine district, to increase the GDP of the state by attracting manufacturing to the district and school choice.

“When you look at the state budget, the second highest expenditure is support for education. And when you see that the kids aren’t actually being educated, then you have to explore every way that you can,” said Black.

“I believe we should look to policies like school choice, which help parents have more control over how their kids are educated.”

Black’s website describes his campaign as based on “conservative values and fiscal responsibility.” He supports legislation that would remove regulations and lower taxes in order to stimulate the economy. Black opposes Proposition A, which would raise the statewide minimum wage to $15 an hour and provide paid sick leave.

“Small businesses provide the bulk of labor positions out there,” said Black at the forum. “Raising the minimum wage only drives people out of business who can’t afford extra labor costs.”

When asked about gun violence, Black explained: “Guns have always been around. The guns are not the problem. It’s the culture. In my opinion, once you start taking people’s guns away, you just create other problems to pass on.”

Barbara Anne Washington

Democrat Barbara Anne Washington was sworn in as state senator in 2021. During her term, she served on the Appropriations Committee where she helped write the $48 billion budget, the largest in Missouri senate history.

Washington responded to The Telegraph’s interview request for the primaries, but was not able to provide input for this issue.

Washington said that if re-elected, she would continue to push for legislation that reduces violence by implementing local youth programming.

She described her stance on guns at the League of Women Voters forum: “There is currently no state law that prevents a minor from having a gun. We need to strengthen the laws to prevent this. That is something that I have filed for several years, and we just haven’t been able to get it across. With the recent school shootings, maybe we can get it passed.”

Washington’s other priority issue is criminal justice reform, specifically around juvenile justice. As a senator she sponsored SB887, which raised the age a juvenile can be tried as an adult from 12 to 14.

She also wants to increase economic development and eliminate blight in the community. She supports Proposition A: “The business owners have to decide what their corporate responsibility is. Do they want to have workers who can afford to get to work, who can afford daycare? It is clear that our rising minimum wage has not created more unemployment, because Missouri now has the lowest unemployment rate in over two decades.”

Washington has lived in Kansas City her whole life and graduated from Southwest High School. She studied journalism at the University of Missouri at Columbia, and then received her MBA from Avila University and law degree from the University of Missouri Kansas City. She has one daughter and two grandsons.

Prior to her time in the Senate, Washington served one term in the Missouri House of Representatives for District 23 where she was a member of the Budget Committee and House Economic Development Committee.