2 veteran state lawmakers in area being challenged

Jul. 30—Two veteran state lawmakers for the area are being challenged Tuesday in the GOP primary elections.

Senate District 32

Sen. Bill White, of Joplin, is being challenged for his 32nd District seat by Jill Carter, of Granby.

The 32nd District represents Jasper, Newton and Dade counties.

—White, 69, has lived in Joplin for the last 25 years. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a lawyer, with a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Kansas and a law degree from Washburn University.

He was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2010 and first elected to the Missouri Senate in 2018.

—Carter, 50, has lived in Granby for 36 years. She is a homemaker who has volunteered as a legislative advocate. She graduated from Crowder College.

This is her first attempt running for a state office.

House District 161

Rep. Lane Roberts, of Joplin, is being challenged for his state House District 161 seat by Thomas Ross, of Joplin.

The district has territory in Jasper and Newton counties.

—Roberts, 74, has lived in Joplin for 15 years. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He earned a bachelor's degree from Liberty University and an MBA from William Woods University.

He has been a police officer since 1971 — he is the former chief of the Joplin Police Department, as well as for city police departments in Washington and Oregon.

He served briefly as the director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety before elected to the Missouri House in 2018.

—Ross, 32, is a lifelong Joplin resident. He attended the University of Missouri's business administration program.

He works in the engineering standards department for Liberty Utilities.

This is his first run for public office.

Follow Digital Editor Joe Hadsall on Twitter at @JoeHadsall.

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