10/09/2026
From Missouri Times:
HD 106: Wilson Survives the Primary, Now Comes November
RPI: 48.47%
If HD 105 is the test of how far Democrats can push into St. Charles County, HD 106 may be the messier race.
Rep. Travis Wilson enters the general election after first having to survive a serious Republican primary challenge from former Rep. Chris Sander.
That primary matters because the Republican side hasn’t completely stitched itself back together. Sander has since announced his support for Kelly, giving Democrats something they rarely get in a legislative race: a former Republican legislator publicly siding with the Democratic nominee against the Republican incumbent.
Wilson now has to move from a bruising intraparty fight directly into a competitive general election. That means rebuilding the Republican coalition while simultaneously turning his attention toward a Democratic challenger who has been campaigning for the seat for more than a year.
Jewel Kelly gives Democrats a candidate with a résumé that doesn’t fit particularly neatly into the usual partisan boxes. Kelly is a U.S. Air Force veteran, small-business owner and mental-health advocate who rose to the rank of captain during his military career. His campaign has focused on affordability, healthcare and public safety, and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has thrown its support behind him. The Missouri-Kansas Laborers’ District Council is also backing Kelly.
Kelly’s opportunity is to capitalize on the divisions from a tough primary while expanding beyond the traditional Democratic coalition. Sander’s endorsement gives him an unusual talking point in that effort, but the larger question is whether dissatisfaction from the Republican primary carries into November or whether GOP voters consolidate behind Wilson once the general election arrives.
Taken together, HD 105 and HD 106 make St. Charles one of the more interesting places to watch on election night. Democrats don’t need these districts to demonstrate that suburban Missouri has changed, they need them to demonstrate just how far that change has traveled.
Rep. Travis Wilson
Cash In: $12,510.00
Cash Out: $16,739.25
Cash on Hand: $7,005.51
Total Cash on Hand: $7,005.51
Jewel Kelly
Cash In: $11,659.88
Cash Out: $7,693.01
Cash on Hand: $19,115.19
Cash on Hand: $19,115.19