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Mike Moon (politician)

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Mike Moon
Member of the Missouri Senate from the 29th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 6, 2021
Preceded byDavid Sater
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 157th District
In office
January 9, 2013 – January 6, 2021
Preceded byDon Ruzicka
Succeeded byMitch Boggs
Personal details
Born (1958-12-31) December 31, 1958 (age 65)
Kannapolis, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseDenise Moon
Children5
EducationBaptist Bible College
Missouri State University (BS)

Mike Moon (born December 31, 1958) is an American politician serving as a member of the Missouri Senate, who previously served in the Missouri House of Representatives.[1][2] He is a member of the Republican Party.[3][4]

Moon is against abortion and has introduced legislation to define a human zygote as a person. He supports children being able to marry other children with parental consent as an alternative to abortion. He opposes mandatory sex education in schools, and proposed bills banning the discussion of LGBTQ people in public schools and prohibiting doctors from providing gender affirming care to minors. Moon is against mandatory masking and regulation of businesses as a tool to mitigate COVID-19, and wants to eliminate corporate taxation.

Political career

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Moon ran for Missouri's 7th congressional district against former US Rep. Billy Long in 2010 and 2012, and primaried for Long's vacated seat in the 2022 US House of Representatives elections.[5]

During his campaign for United States House of Representatives, Moon was temporarily removed from all committee assignments by Senate Republican leader Dave Schatz for wearing overalls on senate floor. Following a filibuster in which he called Schatz a "dictator," Moon apologized and had his appointments returned.[6]

Moon was a member of the Missouri Senate "conservative caucus" until it disbanded in 2022. The group had openly quarreled with fellow Missouri Republicans in session and were at one point accused of turning a session into a "clown show" by Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden. At other times, Republican senators sought procedural measures to reduce the impact of caucus's "glorified publicity stunts" on proceedings.[7]

Political positions

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Abortion

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Moon is anti-abortion, citing "putting an end to abortion" in Missouri as one of his top priorities.[8][9] Prior to its reversal, he did not believe states were obligated to enforce Roe v. Wade (1973),[10] and has introduced several anti-abortion bills during his time as a state representative, including the Never Again Act (which proposed requiring the Missouri State Museum to have an exhibit featuring tools used in abortion),[10] the Right to Due Process Act (which proposed defining a human zygote as a person), and House Bill 2285[11] (which proposed abolishing abortion in Missouri).[12]

In 2017, Moon posted a video of himself butchering chickens on his family farm on social media, chiding his fellow Missouri legislators for not getting to the "heart of the matter" and abolishing abortion in Missouri outright.[12] The video was negatively received by NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, as well as PETA president Ingrid Newkirk, the latter of whom called for his arrest. Moon, however, denied that he was trying to offend anyone by the video, saying that "[t]he reality is our food is slaughtered ... I didn't mean for it [the video] to be demoralizing in any way. It was just something that I was in the middle of and I wasn't going to go shower or change clothes."[10]

Moon attempted to insert an anti-abortion provision in a bipartisan bill to extend postpartum care from 60 days to a year. Fellow Republicans argued against the language as similar attempts in other states had jeopardized federal approval and delayed implementation.[13] Governor Mike Parson has called Missouri's high maternal mortality rates “embarrassing and absolutely unacceptable.”[14] The bill passed without Moon's provision during his absence, and on his return he blocked all Senate action for a full day as retribution.[15]

Against LGBT education and healthcare

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Mike Moon has introduced bills allowing parents to not have their children participate in sex education classes, requiring internet service providers to ban "obscene" websites, prohibiting doctors from providing transgender children with gender affirming care or hormonal treatment,[12] and restricting K-12 public school educators from talking about LGBT people.[16]

Child marriage

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When challenged by Rep. Peter Merideth in April 2023 on arguments related to transgender youth, Moon defended his 2018 stance on child marriage in which he opposed legislation that raised the marriage age from 15 to 16, and requires parental consent for older teenagers to marry.[17][18]

After his comments went viral, Moon claimed he did not have enough time to explain his vote and that he does not support adults marrying children. Moon's argument in defense of child marriage in both 2018 and 2023 are an anecdote about a couple he met in college who married at age 12 as a result of pregnancy and are "still married."[19][20]

In April 2024, Moon again cast the sole vote against legislation intended to completely ban child marriage in Missouri.[21]

Corporate tax

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Moon wants to eliminate corporate tax, as well as what he deems as "unnecessary regulation".[8]

COVID-19

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Moon is against face mask mandates and safety measures that regulate businesses to curb the spread of the virus, believing that they threaten personal liberty and "that the economy has been devastated as a result" of them.[8]

Environment

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Moon was among six legislators to sign a letter to the Missouri Fertilizer Control Board[22] to change exemptions that allow fertilization distributors to dump waste without effective restrictions.[23]

Religion

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In 2019, he requested Missouri governor Mike Parson to not allow the replacement of a statue of the Roman goddess Ceres to the top of the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, calling the statue a "false god."[24]

Electoral history

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State representative

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Missouri House of Representatives Primary Election, August 5, 2014, District 157[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mike Moon 3,308 55.10%
Republican Julie Ruzicka 2,696 44.90%
Missouri House of Representatives Election, November 4, 2014, District 157[26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mike Moon 6,407 76.11% −23.89
Democratic Vince Jennings 2,011 23.89% +23.89
Missouri House of Representatives Election, November 8, 2016, District 157[27]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mike Moon 11,632 74.17% −1.94
Independent Stephanie Davis 4,050 25.83%
Missouri House of Representatives Election, November 6, 2018, District 157[28]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mike Moon 10,551 78.92% +4.75
Democratic Loretta Thomas 2,819 21.08%

State Senate

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Missouri State Senate Primary Election, August 4, 2020, District 29[29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mike Moon 17,761 52.49%
Republican David Cole 16,077 47.51%
Missouri State Senate General Election, November 3, 2020, District 29[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mike Moon 75,402 100% +47.51%

References

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  1. ^ "SOS, Missouri - Elections: Offices Filed in Candidate Filing". s1.sos.mo.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  2. ^ "State of Missouri - Election Night Results". enr.sos.mo.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  3. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  4. ^ "Representative Mike Moon". house.mo.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  5. ^ "State Sen. Moon announces campaign for congressional seat". www.colombiamissourian.com. Colombia Missourian. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  6. ^ Summer, Ballentine (February 23, 2022). "Missouri lawmaker ends protest, apologizes for overalls 'ruckus'". KSDK.
  7. ^ Hancock, John (August 15, 2022). "Missouri Senate conservative caucus disbands after two years of ugly GOP infighting". Missouri Independent.
  8. ^ a b c Madison Bryan (July 17, 2020). "Meet the Candidates: State Senate District 29". BransonTriLakesNews.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  9. ^ "State Rep. Mike Moon to replace term-limited Sater in southwest Missouri". Missouri Net. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  10. ^ a b c Peter Holley (June 14, 2017). "Why an antiabortion lawmaker made a video of himself beheading a chicken". Washington Post. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  11. ^ Second Regular Session - House Bill No. 2285 | 100th General Assembly
  12. ^ a b c Jessica Glenza (February 6, 2020). "Missouri lawmaker wants police officers to stop women from getting abortions". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  13. ^ Bates, Clara. "Federal approval of Missouri postpartum extension could be at risk over abortion amendment". Missouri Independent. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  14. ^ Bates, Clara. "Missouri legislature passes postpartum Medicaid extension". Missouri Independent. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  15. ^ Bates, Clara. "Gridlock plagues Missouri Senate once again with just days to go before adjournment". Missouri Independent. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  16. ^ Ballentine, Summer (February 7, 2023). "Missouri proposal goes farther than 'Don't Say Gay' bill". AP. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  17. ^ Bella, Timothy. "Missouri lawmaker suggests 12-year-olds should be able to get married". The Washington Post, April 14, 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023
  18. ^ Fung, Katherine "Missouri Senator's Child Marriage Comments Spark Anger". Newsweek, April 14, 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023
  19. ^ Suntrup, Jack (April 13, 2023). "Missouri senator says he doesn't support adults marrying children, after comments went viral". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  20. ^ "Sen. Mike Moon reiterates support for 12-year-old's right to marry in Missouri". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  21. ^ Bates, Clara (2024-04-10). "Missouri Senate gives initial approval to complete ban on child marriage • Missouri Independent". Missouri Independent. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  22. ^ "Missouri Fertilizer Control Board".
  23. ^ "Legislators urge Fertilizer Control Board to take action". Cassville Democrat. April 12, 2023.
  24. ^ Erickson, Kurt (December 11, 2019). "Say no to 'false god': Missouri lawmaker urges governor to block historic statue". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  25. ^ "All Results; Official Results". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  26. ^ "All Results; Official Results". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  27. ^ "All Results; Official Results". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  28. ^ "All Results; Official Results". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  29. ^ "All Results - Primary Election, August 04, 2020". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  30. ^ "All Results - General Election, November 03, 2020". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
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