Boone County Republicans will gather Sunday evening to work to select a replacement for former State Rep. Chuck Basye (R-Rocheport) in the race to become the next state senator from Boone County.
939 the Eagle’s Mike Murphy reports Sunday’s meeting will take place at 6 pm at Dickey’s BBQ on Columbia’s Forum Boulevard. Murphy reports the party has four weeks to nominate a replacement candidate.
Former Representative Basye, who served eight years in the Missouri House, withdrew from the race in late April after learning he has prostate cancer. He was challenging former State Rep. Stephen Webber (D-Columbia) in the race to replace Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia), who’s term-limited. This is Senator Rowden’s final year in the Senate. Republicans have held the seat for the past 16 years, but the district has always included an neighboring rural county, until now. It has included Howard, Randolph and Cooper counties, but it’s now a Boone County-only seat. The last Democrat to hold the seat was the late former State Sen. Chuck Graham (D-Columbia). Former Representative Webber served in the Missouri House from 2008-2016.
Mr. Basye, who will be 66 in June, told 939 the Eagle’s Wake Up Mid-Missouri” in late April that his prostate cancer was caught early and is treatable. He also noted that a recent MRI detected an additional cancer concerning to his urologist and prompting his withdrawal from the race.