The filing period for the primary election ended on March 31 with 11 county residents seeking spots on the ballot.

Paul Boyd (prosecuting attorney), Nathan Carroz (associate circuit judge), Harry Cope (presiding commissioner), Mike Deering (Missouri State Senate), Morgan DeTienne (circuit clerk), Lacy Fischer (circuit clerk), Ryan Poston (presiding commissioner), Sheila See (recorder), Jacqueline Spinks (collector), Lori Stiers (treasurer) and Carole Weeks (county clerk) filed for their respective seats in the Aug. 4 election. All of them running are Republicans.

There are two contested races. Poston and Cope are the candidates for presiding commissioner. Fischer and DeTienne are running against each other for circuit clerk.

Boyd, Carroz, See, Stiers and Weeks are incumbents and running uncontested.

Poston, Fischer, DeTienne, Boyd, Carroz, Deering, See, Stiers and Weeks were the first county residents to file on Feb. 24, which was the first day any candidate can file for the primary election. Spinks filed on March 5 and Cope filed on March 17.

A Truxton resident, Cope works as a fourth-generational farmer at Cope Grass Farm. He graduated from University of Missouri-Columbia in 1984. His family has been farming near Truxton for 150 years. Three years ago, the farm received the Leopold Conservation Award.

Poston, a 1995 MCHS graduate, has been the county’s presiding commissioner since 2010. That year, he defeated Charlie Korman in the primary election and Gene Whyte in the general election.

Fischer, who graduated from MCHS in 2000, has worked as an office manager/clerk at the Montgomery County Courthouse for 19 years. DeTienne, a 2013 MCHS graduate, works at the circuit clerk’s office.

Deering filed to run for the Republican seat of the Missouri State Senate in the 10th District, representing communities across Callaway, Montgomery, Pike, Lincoln and portions of St. Charles counties. Deering is the executive vice president of the Missouri Cattleman's Association and co-owns Nature's Plow in Montgomery City with wife Julie.

Deering’s opponent is Tricia Byrnes of Wentzville. She is a member of the Missouri House of Representatives, representing the state’s 63rd House district. The winner in the August primary will face either Democratic candidates John Wells of Holts Summit or Pablo John Los of Hermann in the November general election.

Boyd has been the county’s prosecuting attorney since Oct. 7. He was appointed by Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe to replace Keith Freie as prosecuting attorney. Boyd served as the violent crimes team leader for the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office and previously served as a counterdrug coordinator and military judge for the National Guard before retiring after more than 20 years of service.

Carroz, a Wellsville native, has been the county’s associate circuit judge since March 2021. After serving as prosecuting attorney for nine years, Carroz replaced Kelly Broniec – who is now a Missouri Supreme Court judge – for the associate circuit judge position.

Weeks has been county clerk since 2024. She started working in the county clerk’s office as a part-time worker in 2020. She was promoted full time in January 2021. 

See is seeking her seventh term as recorder. She has served in that post since 2002, when the Circuit Clerk’s office was split off from the Circuit Clerk and Recorder of Deeds. She grew up in the Bellflower area.

Stiers, who lives in Rhineland, has been treasurer since 2019. 

Spinks, who is from the New Florence area, works part-time at the collector’s office.