By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A campaign for Missouri Senate has ended before it began.
State Rep. Brenda Shields, a Republican from St. Joseph, has ended her campaign for state senate due to health considerations. The decision comes just days before a scheduled kick off and fundraiser.
“I think everybody that knows me, my 40+ years I’ve been in the community, I have served the community, whether it was on community boards, whether it was as an educator, or with the United Way,” Shields tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post in a phone interview. “And I so enjoyed serving in the Missouri legislature and being able to serve the people of St. Joeph there through a state level.”
Shields suffered a brain bleed stroke in 2016 and has had a heart valve leak since 2020. She met with her doctors this week, who scheduled her for heart surgery next month. Though they expect a full recovery, running for and serving in the Missouri Senate presents increased health risks.
“So, with the complications of my health issues, not being able to be on any type of blood thinner because of my brain bleed stroke, it just was important that I make this decision to care about myself and to take time to heal for myself and to be able to be with my family,” Shields says.
Shields had scheduled to officially kick off her Senate campaign with a fundraiser at the St. Jospeh Country Club Tuesday.
Shields informed her supporters in a letter that with regret and a level of sadness she is ending her senate campaign.
“Pulling out, bowing out of this Senate campaign has broken my heart in more ways than people will ever understand,” Shields tells us. “And I am truly sad that I’m not able to fulfill that.”
Shields says she does plan to return to the General Assembly at the beginning of next year to serve her final term in the Missouri House.
You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ