Meet Jess Piper, running for Missouri House of Representatives in District 1
If elected to this position, Jess would have a part in writing and passing laws that impact all Missourians. Jess has a background as a teacher for 16 whole years! She is a proud mother and grandmother who cares for her community members. Back in 2020, Jess went to the ballot box to vote and saw that there were no Democratic candidates on the ballot. She says that she wanted to feel represented within her community so she decided if nobody else was going to do it—she had to be the one to step up and run for office! She’s running for those in her community who do not align with the current leadership that mainly acts in the interest of the Republican Party.
Jess is very focused on improving school funding, access to affordable daycare, and infrastructure improvements in her community. More specifically, she wants to improve the roads that desperately need fixing and filling. Within her state it is known that the roads in her district are some of the worst—and she wants to help move this repair process forward. This way, people can commute to their jobs more easily and have a generally better quality of life.
If elected, Jess sees a much brighter future where leaders can compromise and learn to work with each other instead of working against each other. She knows she is in a tough spot in a largely Republican state, but she is still pushing her campaign forward confidently. She is determined to work well with other representatives within her state no matter which party they belong to. Jess told us that she recently went and spoke to the Farm Bureau in her community and found that her and her neighbors shared many of the same goals. This is why she believes many of us have the same dreams, we just need to practice better teamwork to achieve them. Many people want better childcare, reproductive care, better roads and better lives. And Jess knows it can all be achieved!
Jess wants people to know that her community is all about coming together and taking care of one another. Jess owns cows, and one year a few of them escaped during the night. They wandered over to her neighbors house and her neighbor took them into his property for the night and kept them safe. Jess told us that in her community, neighbors help each other no matter what their beliefs may be. She also told us that her community is quiet, safe and beautiful. It is full of windmills that generate clean energy and Jess says it is a great place to raise a family.
Jess has a small farm and a rescue dog who showed up at her house one day and decided to adopt himself into her family. She has 5 kids and 3 grandkids and spends a lot of her time being involved in their lives and activities. Jess pointed out to us that her district has never elected a woman to this position before—and she’s determined to be the first. She knows that she stands out as a candidate, and is hopeful that she will be a part of Missouri’s shift into a more progressive state. She believes that everyone deserves a choice and a voice to represent them!