17 candidates are tracked across 12 Buchanan County races for the 2026 election, led by the Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner contest. Preview your Buchanan County, Missouri sample ballot for 2026: browse tracked local races, then enter your ZIP code to confirm which districts and offices appear on your exact ballot.
These race previews show candidates we’re tracking now. A ZIP code shows your statewide and congressional races; a street address adds county and city contests.
Candidate roster last updated Sep 6, 2026 from official election sources. Enter your ZIP code at theballotbrief.com to see your exact 2026 ballot.
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Local Snapshot
Election DayNov. 3, 2026
StateMissouri
Races Listed12
Profiles17
Buchanan County Sample Ballot 2026: Races We’re Tracking
Local races are address-specific. This guide previews tracked contests, while the lookup tool narrows the list to a voter’s exact address. Tap any name to see the race, full candidate profiles, and everything else on your exact ballot. Missouri nominees were set by the August 4 primary (plurality, no runoffs) and meet on the November 3 ballot; unopposed nominees still print. All 163 state House seats, the even-numbered state Senate districts, partisan circuit judgeships in non-plan circuits and the county offices on the four-year off-presidential cycle (presiding commissioner, clerk, circuit clerk, auditor, recorder, collector, prosecuting attorney) are up; sheriff, assessor, treasurer and the associate commissioners were elected in 2024, per the Secretary of State.
Bill Falkner filed unopposed for presiding commissioner and faced no primary or general-election opponent after the March 31, 2026 filing deadline, succeeding retiring incumbent Scott Nelson, per News-Press Now's report on the Buchanan County Clerk's candidate filing list.
Bill Falkner · Republican▾
Bill Falkner is the Missouri House representative for District 10 and a former mayor of St. Joseph, per 680 KFEQ. He is completing his final term in the Missouri House and is running for the open presiding commissioner seat after incumbent Scott Nelson chose not to seek reelection, per News-Press Now. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Priorities: Restoring and strengthening local infrastructure, including roads, bridges and public facilities, per campaign announcement · Championing family-owned businesses and farms, per campaign announcement · Supporting policies that help working blue-collar families, per campaign announcement (per the 680 KFEQ)
Mary Baack-Garvey filed unopposed for a third term as county clerk and faced no primary or general-election opponent after the March 31, 2026 filing deadline, per News-Press Now's report on the Buchanan County Clerk's candidate filing list.
Mary Baack-Garvey · RepublicanIncumbent▾
Mary Baack-Garvey has served as Buchanan County Clerk since first being elected in 2010 and is seeking a third term, after 10 years as a county employee assisting with elections, per the Buchanan County Clerk's office. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Ashley Thrasher filed unopposed for reelection as circuit clerk and faced no primary or general-election opponent after the March 31, 2026 filing deadline, per News-Press Now's report on the Buchanan County Clerk's candidate filing list.
Ashley Thrasher · Republican▾
Ashley Thrasher, a Missouri Western State University marketing graduate, worked in marketing, management and human-resources roles at Hallmark Cards, Boehringer Ingelheim and Mosaic Life Care before her 2018 election as circuit clerk, where she now oversees a staff of 28, per News-Press Now. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Tara Horn filed unopposed for reelection as auditor and faced no primary or general-election opponent after the March 31, 2026 filing deadline, per News-Press Now's report on the Buchanan County Clerk's candidate filing list.
Tara Horn · RepublicanIncumbent▾
Tara Horn started in real estate as an escrow officer in 2001 and became a licensed real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Stein and Summers Real Estate in 2011; she and her husband also own Norty's Bar and Grill, per the Buchanan County Auditor's office. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Peggy Campbell filed unopposed for reelection as collector and faced no primary or general-election opponent after the March 31, 2026 filing deadline, per News-Press Now's report on the Buchanan County Clerk's candidate filing list.
Peggy Campbell · DemocraticIncumbent▾
Peggy Campbell has served as Buchanan County Collector since winning election in 2010 and was reelected in 2018, per KQ2. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Michelle Davidson filed unopposed for reelection as prosecuting attorney and faced no primary or general-election opponent after the March 31, 2026 filing deadline, per News-Press Now's report on the Buchanan County Clerk's candidate filing list.
Michelle Davidson · RepublicanIncumbent▾
Michelle Davidson holds a law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and has practiced criminal law in Buchanan County for more than 20 years, joining the county Public Defender's Office in 2001, leading it from 2005-2008, then working at the Fourth Circuit Public Defender's Office before joining the Prosecuting Attorney's Office in 2018, per the Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney's office. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Becky Dunlap filed unopposed for reelection as recorder of deeds and faced no primary or general-election opponent after the March 31, 2026 filing deadline, per News-Press Now's report on the Buchanan County Clerk's candidate filing list.
Becky Dunlap · RepublicanIncumbent▾
Becky Dunlap has worked in the Buchanan County License Bureau since 1984 and has served as Recorder of Deeds since 2018, per the Buchanan County Recorder of Deeds' office. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Paul Gatewood (Republican), LaTonya T. Williams (Democratic) meet on the November 3 ballot. Missouri has no runoffs; the August 4 primary winner of each party is the nominee, and unopposed nominees still print. The field is the Missouri Secretary of State's certified general election candidate list (certified August 25, 2026). This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Paul Gatewood · Republican▾
Paul Gatewood is a Marine Corps veteran who served 26 years as an evidence manager for the St. Joseph Police Department, per KQ2. He is the father of eight and grandfather of nine. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Priorities: Keeping St. Joseph affordable · Increasing economic opportunities for blue-collar families (per the candidate statement via KQ2)
LaTonya Williams serves on the St. Joseph School District Board of Education and is executive director of the Bartlett Center in St. Joseph, per KQ2. She is pursuing a doctorate in management with an emphasis on organizational leadership. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Priorities: Strengthening public education · Improving affordable childcare access · Expanding healthcare access (per the candidate statement via KQ2)
Taylor Crouse (Republican), Luke Rae (Democratic) meet on the November 3 ballot. Missouri has no runoffs; the August 4 primary winner of each party is the nominee, and unopposed nominees still print. The field is the Missouri Secretary of State's certified general election candidate list (certified August 25, 2026). This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Taylor Crouse · Republican▾
Taylor Crouse is a lifelong northwest Missouri native and small business owner from St. Joseph with experience in insurance and real estate, per the campaign site. He serves on the Buchanan County Republican Central Committee and the Missouri Western State University Board of Governors, and previously served on the St. Joseph City Council, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Conservative values in state government, per the campaign site
Luke Rae, of Faucett, is a pharmacist and a Mid-Buchanan High School graduate, per KQ2. A registered independent, he is running for the District 11 seat as a Democrat, per his campaign site.
Priorities: Protecting and improving public schools · Addressing the cost-of-living crisis for middle- and lower-income families · Government accountability and transparency in campaign funding (per the campaign site)
John Elliott (Republican), Jacoby Wynkoop (Democratic) meet on the November 3 ballot. Missouri has no runoffs; the August 4 primary winner of each party is the nominee, and unopposed nominees still print. The field is the Missouri Secretary of State's certified general election candidate list (certified August 25, 2026). This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
John Elliott · Republican▾
John Elliott, a small business owner who grew up on a north Missouri farm, is a former Platte County Commissioner who focused on infrastructure, public safety and fiscal responsibility, per The Missouri Times. He also serves as vice chair of the Stanley M. Herzog Foundation board. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Priorities: Supporting law enforcement · Preventing foreign ownership of Missouri farmland · Eliminating the state income tax (per the campaign statement via The Missouri Times)
Jacoby Wynkoop, of Rushville, works as a cook and makes plush toys, per his campaign site. He decided to run for the District 13 seat after seeing the Republican incumbent was unopposed on the ballot.
Priorities: Stronger labor protections and access to healthcare · Well-funded public schools (per the campaign site)
Rusty Black (Republican), Judy McNeece (Democratic) meet on the November 3 ballot; Rusty Black is the sitting member per the Senate roster. Missouri has no runoffs; the August 4 primary winner of each party is the nominee, and unopposed nominees still print. The field is the Missouri Secretary of State's certified general election candidate list (certified August 25, 2026). This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Rusty Black · RepublicanIncumbent▾
Rusty Black worked as an agriculture educator for 33 years before retiring in 2016, per his official Missouri Senate biography. He represents District 12 in northwest Missouri and previously served in the Missouri House before his 2022 election to the Senate, per the same source. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Judy McNeece is a former educator who describes herself as a grandmother living on a fixed income, per her campaign site. She has traveled throughout Senate District 12 listening to constituent concerns.
Priorities: Increasing public school funding · Addressing rural hospital closures and maternity care access · Lowering the cost of living (per the campaign site)
Mike Jones (Republican), Shereka Barnes (Democratic) meet on the November 3 ballot. Missouri has no runoffs; the August 4 primary winner of each party is the nominee, and unopposed nominees still print. The field is the Missouri Secretary of State's certified general election candidate list (certified August 25, 2026). This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Mike Jones · Republican▾
Mike Jones currently represents Missouri House District 12, having been elected in November 2024, per his official House member page. He is a Kansas City native who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1997 to 2001 performing maintenance on AC-130 Gunships, and owns Elite Painting KC, a residential painting business. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Shereka Barnes is a member of the Park Hill School District school board with professional experience as an educator and healthcare professional, per her campaign site.
Priorities: Investing in public education · Expanding access to healthcare coverage · Addressing the rising cost of living (per the campaign site)
Note: Use address lookup for your exact ballot; local pages preview tracked races.Profiles: Hand-verified profiles are added race by race; always confirm with the official election office linked above.
