Sharpe faces first opponent in District 4 since 2018 win

Missouri State Rep. Greg Sharpe (R-Ewing) has been representing Northeast Missouri for six years, but for the first time he has competition in the Nov. 5 general election.

Democrat Melissa Jo Viloria is Sharpe’s opponent in District 4 covering the counties of Shelby, Knox, Scotland, Lewis, Monroe, Schuyler, Clark and part of Adair, with Shelby being the newest county in the district following the 2022 redistricting.  

Sharpe’s two biggest priorities are boosting the economy and supporting public education and he hopes his record will show voters he has earned reelection.

“Public education is the biggest educator in the area,” Sharpe said. “Supporting that and keeping their interests in mind and watching what they do to try and provide some guidance from the legislature is important to me.” 

Sharpe believes that maintaining good infrastructure will help provide economic stability to his district. He said has worked with the Missouri Department of Transportation to try and provide better roads to rural schools in Lewis County, and hopes to continue this throughout District 4. 

“The biggest thing we face is just keeping economic development up in our area,” said Sharpe. “In that respect, infrastructure, the roads, have been a huge issue. Trying to keep our roads and our infrastructure upgraded has been a big priority for me.” 

Sharpe emphasized the importance of infrastructure, workforce development and attracting new business and industries as the key to economic growth in Northeast Missouri. As a farmer himself, supporting agriculture is a major priority to Sharpe’s goals as a representative. 

When it comes to Amendment 3, Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative, Sharpe hopes it will fail. 

“I come from a big pro-life family, I do believe life begins at conception,” said Sharpe. “I probably differ with my opponent greatly on that. We have done a good job limiting abortions in Missouri and I am very proud of that.” 

Although Sharpe is against Amendment 3, he believes it is important that the discussion is not black and white. 

“We need to be clear on parameters protecting the life of the mother, and address rape and incest,” Sharpe said. 

Sharpe does not agree with Proposition A that would increase minimum wage Jan. 1, 2025 to $13.75 per hour, then increasing $1.25 per hour each year until 2026, when the minimum wage would be $15.00 per hour. Which would then “adjust minimum wage based on changes in the Consumer Price Index each January beginning in 2027,” according to the Missouri Secretary of State website. 

Sharpe believes that increasing the minimum wage will have negative consequences like increasing contract prices and making employers reluctant to hire entry-level workers. He says he does not think the constitution should address it. 

“There’s a lot of ramifications to raising minimum wage,” said Sharpe. “I think that it is harmful for entry level workers…people will be reluctant to hire beginning level people and train them.”

“I just hope that the job I’ve done for six years, the voters will take that in consideration and I hope I’ve done a good job responding to their requests and meeting their needs” said Sharpe. 

“I’ve been all around the district, go to an awful lot of meetings, so I’m hoping that record will stand well enough to support my reelection.”