Will Randy Jotte Run for Missouri's 2nd District?

Two conservative Republicans are in the race for Missouri’s 2nd District Congressional seat, the seat that Todd Akin is giving up. A third Republican may soon be vying for the nomination.

Ann Wagner and Ed Martin, both in the race for months, may soon be joined by Dr. Randy Jotte, Webster Groves resident, who has launched a website announcing that he’s considering the leap.

All three were at a forum sponsored by Republican Club of Tesson Ferry at the . Despite the frigid night, about a hundred came to far South County to hear the Republicans running for various offices.

Wagner and Martin had been invited to speak, and Jotte came to listen, chat, and get the lay of the land. (Wagner had been at a Creve Coeur event and got there too late to speak to the group.) Jotte had suggested that if he’d be there, if he was leaning toward running. He still wasn’t committing. 

“I’ll discuss my thoughts publicly shortly,” was all he committed to.

He spoke to Patch only in general terms about his reason for running.

“If you have concerns that are in your heart you have to be true to that,” he said. “If you look at the gifts, the resources you have, you apply those to the larger good if you can. And that’s the question at hand.”

Jotte has most recently run unsuccessfully for the Missouri General Assembly and St. Louis County Council.

The two already committed to the race didn’t appear to be concerned.

“I know of Randy Jotte and I know he’s run for office before, but we’re really just focused on our race 110 percent of the time,” Wagner said. “We filed back (on) April 26, so it’s been over eight months.”

Martin knew Jotte was in the room, but seemed surprised that he might have committed.

“Has he gotten in?” Martin asked. “He’s a really good man, and I know him, actually I know his parents from church, and I’ve gotten to know him over the years. I’m a big fan of the more the merrier in races.”

John Judd, Republican committeeman for Tesson Ferry Township, had little hope for Jotte.

“The field is set,” he said. “The nominee will be either Ann Wagner or Ed Martin. It’s far too late to get in for anyone else.”

Wouldn’t Jotte be on the same level field as Wagner and Martin? “They have all the money cornered,” Judd said. “They have all the workers cornered. The primary field is set. We had the nominee in that room tonight."