The field in next year’s Democratic Primary for Missouri’s 2nd District is promising to be full of great candidates:
• Kelli Dunaway is a Democrat running for Missouri’s 2nd District. A lifelong advocate for equal rights and mother of two, Kelli brings a balance of empathy and experience to her candidacy, as well as the unwavering commitment to listen to – and fight for – all constituents of the District. Kelli is the Assistant Director of Legal Professional Development at Bryan Cave LLP. In this role, Kelli is the architect of firm-wide professional development programs and policies. She is also a Fellow with the Truman National Security Project and a founding director of the St. Louis Chapter of the New Leaders Council.
• Mark Osmack, 35, is an Army veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan. He lives in St. Louis and works for Deloitte, the audit and consulting firm. Osmack has a graduate degree from George Washington University and previously worked as an aide to then-U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, now a Democratic senator in Illinois.
Time featured him in a 2011 piece about combat in Afghanistan. He said he’s “strongly considering” a run in 2018.
• Sam Gladney, 33, a lawyer in the firm of Hartnett, Gladney and Hetterman, is also considering a run. He grew up in the Brentwood and Clayton area, and is an Army and Iraq War veteran. He describes himself as a “Midwest enthusiast” on his Twitter account, and he is the stepson of former Republican Rep. Jo Ann Emerson.
• Cort VanOstran, a 2014 graduate of Washington University Law School, practices law with Gray, Ritter and Graham. He teaches at Washington University’s law school. He is 28 and lives in Clayton.
VanOstran told the Post-Dispatch that he will make up his mind in the “near future.” He said Wagner’s decision to run for re-election or to seek a Senate seat would have no bearing on his decision.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/at-least-three-democratic-newcomers-are-considering-running-for-wagner/article_e7cd663e-4377-5ca2-9bd0-12c9f22e217e.html