VonDras Will Not Participate in Potential Primary Rerun, Says Focus Must Be Defeating Ann Wagner

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Joan VonDras announced today that she will not actively participate as a candidate should ongoing litigation over Missouri's congressional district boundaries result in a new Democratic primary for Missouri's 2nd Congressional District, saying Democrats should instead focus their energy on defeating Congresswoman Ann Wagner in November.

VonDras received 36,906 votes out of 85,780 cast in the August 4 Democratic primary. Just 1,211 additional votes for VonDras would have changed the outcome. Her campaign focused on affordability, health care, protecting democracy, and bringing a problem-solving approach to Congress.

“I am incredibly proud of the campaign we ran and grateful to every person who voted for me, volunteered, donated, attended a town hall, or simply took the time to talk with me,” VonDras said. “We came incredibly close, but this campaign was never just about me. It was about giving the people of this district a representative who listens to them and works for them.”

VonDras spoke with Fred Wellman on election night to congratulate him on his victory. With questions surrounding Missouri’s congressional map still working their way through the courts, VonDras said she has now made her own decision about what comes next.

“If the courts ultimately require another congressional primary, I will not actively participate as a candidate,” VonDras said. “I congratulated Fred on election night after a hard-fought primary. Now Democrats need to come together and focus on the fight that matters: defeating Ann Wagner.”

“I’m stepping back, but I’m not stepping away,” VonDras said. “There is too much work ahead to strengthen our democracy, bring people together, and make sure their voices are heard. I will continue to show up, listen, and do the work, not just through November, but for the road ahead.”

VonDras said that after more than a decade in Washington, Wagner has failed to address the everyday concerns she heard repeatedly from voters throughout the campaign.

“For months, I sat down with people across this district and heard the same concerns again and again. Health care costs too much. Housing costs too much. Groceries cost too much. Families are working harder and wondering why it is getting more difficult just to stay afloat,” VonDras said. “Ann Wagner has had more than a decade in Congress to address these challenges. Instead, she has too often acted as a rubber stamp for the failed policies of this administration, putting partisan politics ahead of the people she was elected to represent.”

VonDras said the contrast in November should ultimately be about who Congress is supposed to serve.

“Congress is the People’s House. It belongs to the people, not a political party, not an administration, and not the special interests in Washington,” VonDras said. “The people of Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District deserve a representative who listens to them and works for them. We need leadership that will protect our democracy, lower costs, make health care more affordable, and put working families first.”

VonDras called on the thousands of voters and volunteers who powered her campaign to carry that same energy into November, working to defeat Wagner and elect Democrats up and down the ballot.

“To everyone who believed in our campaign, our work isn't finished,” VonDras concluded. “Keep knocking doors. Keep talking to your neighbors. Keep fighting for affordable health care, strong public schools, lower costs, and our democracy. Ann Wagner has had more than a decade to represent the people of Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District. It’s time for a change. It’s time to defeat Ann Wagner and make sure the People’s House works for the people again.”