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July 8, 2024 |  By: Rudi Keller - Missouri Independent

Donald Trump endorses Bob Onder over GOP rivals in Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District primary

bob onder

By Rudi Keller - Missouri Independent

Former state Sen. Bob Onder, one of the leading Republican candidates in Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District, on Monday landed the endorsement of former President Donald Trump in the seven-way contest for the Republican nomination.

Trump, via statement on the Truth Social platform, said Onder “is an incredible America First Patriot” and a “highly respected physician and attorney” who would back Trump’s program on economic, border and military policies.

Onder, of St. Charles, former state Sen. Kurt Schaefer of Columbia and state Rep. Justin Hicks of Lake St. Louis are the three candidates in the GOP primary race who have organized significant campaigns. Trump’s endorsement includes a dig at Schaefer, but doesn’t mention the other candidates.

Onder’s “opponent, Kurt Schaefer, is WEAK ON MAGA,” Trump wrote. “That’s all you have to know!”

The 3rd District covers all or part of 16 counties, including Boone, Cole, St. Charles and Jefferson. The incumbent, U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer of St. Elizabeth, surprised the Missouri political world when he announced in January that he would not seek another term.

Other candidates in the Republican primary are Arnie C. AC Arn Dienoff of O’Fallon, a perennial candidate; Chad Bicknell of O’Fallon, who lost a primary to Luetkemeyer in 2018; Kyle Bone of DeSoto, who lost a 2018 primary for a Missouri House seat; Brandon Wilkinson of Fenton, who lost to Luetkemeyer in the 2020 and 2022 GOP primaries; and Bruce A. Bowman, a Jefferson City businessman.

In a statement to The Independent, Onder said he was “honored” to have the endorsement. 

“In 2025, we will reverse the disastrous policies of Joe Biden and the Democrats, and restore America First principles,” Onder said. “President Trump was the greatest President of my lifetime and I look forward to being his ally in Congress to pass his America First Agenda and Make America Great Again.”

Trump’s endorsement has been a coveted campaign asset for years, both in Missouri, where Trump got 57% of the vote in 2020, and in other Republican states. In the 2022 U.S. Senate primary in Missouri, Trump issued a vague statement endorsing “Eric” that did not distinguish between Eric Schmitt, who eventually won the seat, and Eric Greitens, a former governor.

Schaefer, who is counting on his name recognition in central Missouri to counter Onder’s strength in the eastern end of the district, didn’t concede that the endorsement will push the race to Onder.

“Unlike Bob Onder, I’ve always supported President Trump,” Schaefer said in a statement to The Independent.

In the 2016 presidential contest, Onder endorsed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz over Trump. 

“I’ll use my experience as a proven prosecutor with a record of enforcing the law to fight for President Trump and his agenda,” Schaefer said. “Together, we’ll restore law and order, expose DC corruption and secure the border.”

Schaefer has the endorsement of Luetkemeyer, made in April after denouncing the “antics” of “far right wingers” among the Republican conference in Congress.

Onder and Schaefer both served two terms in the Missouri Senate and both have failed in campaigns for other offices. Onder lost to Luetkemeyer the 2008 GOP primary in the old 9th Congressional District and Schaefer lost to Josh Hawley in the 2016 primary for attorney general.

Schaefer won his state Senate seat the same year Luetkemeyer won his seat in Congress.