The Final Push in Missouri Senate District 28
With Election Day approaching on November 3, 2026, voters across nine counties are weighing two distinctly different career backgrounds as candidates Mike McCaffree and Sam Alexander make their final sprint across Missouri Senate District 28, reported. The race pits decades of local small-business management and school board governance against hands-on farming, skilled trades, and emergency medicine, giving the electorate a sharp choice in how their next state senator will approach the chamber.
Mike McCaffree Focuses on Classrooms and Bipartisanship
Mike McCaffree, running as a Democrat, brings nearly thirty years of small-business ownership in Nevada, alongside 17 years of service on the local school board. Campaigning aggressively across a vast geographical territory six to seven days a week, McCaffree has staked his platform on public education, health care, and housing. As he describes his daily grind on the campaign trail, the schedule is demanding. “Very good, very, very busy,” McCaffree said of his campaign. “The district covers a lot of territory and so we’ve been getting out and we’re in usually campaigning six, seven days a week.”
That classroom experience hits close to home—his wife is a teacher, and his children attended Nevada public schools. Pointing to statewide challenges in educator compensation where Missouri teachers rank near the bottom nationally, McCaffree argues that fixing teacher pay and curbing high turnover rates must form the foundation of any serious investment in rural stability. “Our teachers are paid next to last in the nation,” McCaffree noted. “I think we need to do better, take better care of our teachers.”
Beyond the classroom, McCaffree emphasizes that schools, local hospitals, and housing operate as an interconnected triad essential for keeping smaller communities viable. Operating in a moderate to conservative-leaning region requires a pragmatic streak, and McCaffree insists he is ready to cross party lines to deliver results. “I’ve got a lot of friends that are Republicans,” he said. “I want to maintain those friendships, and I will work to do that.”
Sam Alexander Stresses Local Control and Emergency Medicine
On the other side of the ballot, Sam Alexander, running as a Republican, approaches the legislature through the lens of emergency medicine and manual labor. His background spans farm work, dairy farming, auto mechanics, plumbing, electrical work, framing, roofing, welding, and machining before he transitioned to medical school. Alexander began practicing emergency medicine at age 21, completing his residency at Truman Medical Center while working at Bothwell Regional Health Center. He argues that this blue-collar and medical foundation gives him a direct line of sight into the daily economic realities of district residents.
Alexander’s campaign has maintained a heavy pace since the primary, occasionally logging up to seven events in a single day. “We don’t take anything for granted,” Alexander said. “I’m a hard worker, and we worked, worked really hard during our primary, and we’ve been more busy afterwards.”
A central pillar of Alexander’s platform is shifting the balance of power between Jefferson City and local municipalities. He contends that state lawmakers have lost touch with county and municipal leadership. “I think, too, for too long, Jefferson City thinks that we work for them, and I’m gonna let Jefferson City know that we need to be working for the people and for the counties,” Alexander stated, arguing that local officials should hold a commanding voice in drafting state policy.
Drawing directly from his career in emergency rooms, Alexander views rural hospitals as economic anchors. Losing a community hospital forces residents to travel to larger cities for care, draining discretionary dollars away from home. He also points out that a functioning local hospital is vital for recruiting high-quality physicians to rural towns.
The Path to November 3
While both candidates agree that health care access and the economic vitality of rural towns are paramount, they offer voters differing philosophies on governance. McCaffree relies on his administrative background in education and commerce paired with a pledge of bipartisan cooperation. Alexander leans on his extensive manual labor and medical background coupled with a mandate for aggressive local control.
Voters looking up their exact polling locations and sample ballots can consult the official Missouri election office as the final weekend of campaigning unfolds ahead of Tuesday’s election.
