State Sen. Stephen Webber (D-Columbia) is encouraging Columbia-area Republicans to vote for former Boone County clerk Taylor Burks in Tuesday’s GOP primary for Missouri’s new fifth congressional district.
Senator Webber did so in a tweet this week where he also blasted State Sen. Rick Brattin (R-Harrisonville), Burks’ primary rival in August, over the Daniel Boone Regional Library’s children story time controversy. Mr. Burks tells 939 the Eagle that he doesn’t know where Senator Webber stands with him on the library situation:
“We shouldn’t be using public tax dollars to expose children to transgender ideology or the LGBT movement. That is not something that Columbia library dollars should be used for,” Burks says.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway (R) and Senator Brattin have blasted Saturday morning’s LGBTQ+-themed children’s story time event at the library. Mr. Burks praises General Hanaway’s inquiry into the matter. Senator Brattin has filed a detailed Sunshine request for library records.
The Daniel Boone Regional Library says neither book read on Saturday contains sexual content.
Senator Webber raised some eyebrows locally with his tweet this week. Webber slammed Senator Brattin in a tweet and calls him “anti-trans.” Mr. Burks tells 939 the Eagle that Senator Webber’s tweet reminds him of the 2012 Missouri GOP U-S Senate primary involving then-Congressman Todd Akin:
“Senator Webber encouraging people to support me I think is exactly in line with the (then-GOP Congressman) Todd Akin playbook. Where a number of years ago (2012) when (then-Congressman) Todd Akin was running for the U.S. Senate, Democrats attacked him as too conservative and it helped him,” Burks says.
Mr. Burks describes Sentor Brattin as “unelectable” in the congressional race and says Democrats know that, based on missed votes and some positions. Senator Brattin’s supporters disagree, noting that he was elected to four terms in the Missouri House from 2010 to 2018 and has been elected to the Missouri Senate twice.
The primary is Tuesday.