With the party nominees officially selected for the November election, Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, is one of several candidates who should have an easier time winning in a few months compared to their primary.

Fitzwater, who is the Republican nominee for the 10th Senate District, fended off four other candidates to win with almost 32% of the vote.

Now, with no Democrat in the race, Fitzwater must defeat Libertarian candidate Catherine Dreher in order to begin his career as a state senator in a district that includes a portion of St. Charles County and extends west to near Columbia.

Fitzwater joined the Politically Speaking podcast to talk about his candidacy and goals for the Senate.

Here are some of the things Fitzwater discussed:

• How he won his primary. Polling showed Fitzwater’s chief opponent, Mike Carter, ahead for most of the campaign.
• His thoughts on the future of the Missouri Senate, where a faction of the Republican Party has frequently clashed with Senate leadership.  
• What policies he wants to focus on.
• Gov. Mike Parson’s call for a special session on tax cuts, including a recent meeting on the issue that Fitzwater attended.

Fitzwater currently represents Missouri’s 49th House District, which includes parts of Callaway and Cole counties. He was first elected in 2014 and could no longer run for reelection in the House due to term limits.

Outside of the legislature, Fitzwater has worked in nonprofit management as a marketing coordinator and chief operating officer. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science, focusing on international relations, from Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina.

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