By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

St. Joseph state Rep. Bill Falkner breezed to re-election,
winning nearly 62% of the vote Tuesday.

Falkner, a Republican, defeated Democrat Andrew Gibson.

“Well, it’s a very humbling experience any time you put your
name out there and people vote for you,” Falkner tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “I’ve
been blessed that this city has supported me in the fashion that they have and
I will continue to fight for St. Joe down in Jefferson City.”

Falkner garnered 8,145 votes to Gibson’s 4,999, according to
unofficial results released by the Buchanan County Clerk’s office. That’s a
split of 61.84% to 37.95%.

Falkner says he wants to help tackle the issue of child care
in the next legislative session.

“We’ve got to make it more affordable and maybe look at some
of the items that we are forcing providers to do,” Falkner says. “We want to
make sure that it continues to be safe for the children, but we want to make it
to where it can be profitable for the individuals that are running them.”

Falkner will enter his fourth term in January. He is prevented
by term limits from seeking a fifth term. Falkner says his experience that he
says will serve his district well.

“You usually have your relationships built up in Jefferson
City to where you can maneuver a little bit quicker and easier to where if you
want something put into a bill or taken out of a bill, you have a personal
relationship with the senators and the other representatives, because you’ve
been there awhile,” according to Falkner.

The Missouri General Assembly begins a new session in January.

You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.