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    Karla May

    From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 21 min

    Karla May
    Democratic Party
    Missouri State Senate District 4
    Tenure
    2019 - Present
    Term ends
    2027
    Years in position
    7
    Prior offices:
    Missouri House of Representatives District 84
    Years in office: 2011 - 2019
    Compensation
    Base salary
    $41,770/year
    Per diem
    $142.40/day
    Elections and appointments
    Last election
    August 6, 2024
    Contact
    Official website
    Official X
    Campaign Facebook
    Personal Facebook
    Personal X
    Personal LinkedIn

    Karla May (Democratic Party) is a member of the Missouri State Senate, representing District 4. She assumed office in 2019. Her current term ends on January 6, 2027.

    May (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Missouri. She lost in the Democratic primary on August 6, 2024.

    Biography[edit]

    Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

    May earned her B.S. in business administration and M.A. in teaching. Her professional experience includes working at AT&T.

    Committee assignments[edit]

    2025-2026

    May was assigned to the following committees:

    2023-2024

    May was assigned to the following committees:

    2021-2022

    May was assigned to the following committees:

    2019-2020

    May was assigned to the following committees:

    2017 legislative session[edit]

    At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

    Missouri committee assignments, 2017
    • Budget
    • Transportation
    • Joint Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect
    • Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight

    2015 legislative session[edit]

    At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, May served on the following committees:

    2013-2014[edit]

    At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, May served on the following committees:

    Missouri committee assignments, 2013
    • Appropriations - Revenue, Transportation and Economic Development
    • Budget
    • Transportation
    • Workforce Development and Workplace Safety
    • Joint Committee on Child Abuse
    • Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight
    • Joint Committee on Urban Agriculture

    2011-2012[edit]

    In the 2011-2012 legislative session, May served on the following committees:

    [edit]

    The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


    Elections[edit]

    2024[edit]

    See also: United States Senate election in Missouri, 2024

    General election

    General election for U.S. Senate Missouri

    The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Missouri on November 5, 2024.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Josh Hawley
    		Josh Hawley (R)
     
    55.6
     
    		1,651,907
    Image of Lucas Kunce
    		Lucas Kunce (D)
     
    41.8
     
    		1,243,728
    Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
    Submit photo
    		W. C. Young (L)
     
    1.2
     
    		35,671
    Image of Jared Young
    		Jared Young (Better Party) Candidate Connection
     
    0.7
     
    		21,111
    Image of Nathan Kline
    		Nathan Kline (G) Candidate Connection
     
    0.7
     
    		20,123
    Image of Gina Bufe
    		Gina Bufe (Independent) (Write-in)
     
    0.0
     
    		19

    Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 2,972,559
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

    Democratic primary election

    Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Missouri

    Lucas Kunce defeated Karla May, December Harmon, and Mita Biswas in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Missouri on August 6, 2024.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Lucas Kunce
    		Lucas Kunce
     
    67.6
     
    		255,775
    Image of Karla May
    		Karla May
     
    23.2
     
    		87,908
    Image of December Harmon
    		December Harmon Candidate Connection
     
    7.1
     
    		26,804
    Image of Mita Biswas
    		Mita Biswas
     
    2.0
     
    		7,647

    There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 378,134
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

    Republican primary election

    Republican primary for U.S. Senate Missouri

    Incumbent Josh Hawley advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Missouri on August 6, 2024.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Josh Hawley
    		Josh Hawley
     
    100.0
     
    		607,602

    Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 607,602
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

    Libertarian primary election

    Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate Missouri

    W. C. Young advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate Missouri on August 6, 2024.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
    Submit photo
    		W. C. Young
     
    100.0
     
    		2,437

    There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 2,437
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Endorsements[edit]

    Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for May in this election.

    2022[edit]

    See also: Missouri State Senate elections, 2022

    General election

    General election for Missouri State Senate District 4

    Incumbent Karla May defeated Mary Theresa McLean in the general election for Missouri State Senate District 4 on November 8, 2022.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Karla May
    		Karla May (D)
     
    74.2
     
    		51,419
    Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
    Submit photo
    		Mary Theresa McLean (R)
     
    25.8
     
    		17,906

    Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 69,325
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Democratic primary election

    Democratic primary for Missouri State Senate District 4

    Incumbent Karla May advanced from the Democratic primary for Missouri State Senate District 4 on August 2, 2022.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Karla May
    		Karla May
     
    100.0
     
    		24,644

    Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 24,644
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Republican primary election

    Republican primary for Missouri State Senate District 4

    Mary Theresa McLean advanced from the Republican primary for Missouri State Senate District 4 on August 2, 2022.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
    Submit photo
    		Mary Theresa McLean
     
    100.0
     
    		5,506

    There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 5,506
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    2018[edit]

    See also: Missouri State Senate elections, 2018

    General election

    General election for Missouri State Senate District 4

    Karla May defeated Robert Crump in the general election for Missouri State Senate District 4 on November 6, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Karla May
    		Karla May (D)
     
    77.1
     
    		56,883
    Image of Robert Crump
    		Robert Crump (R)
     
    22.9
     
    		16,927

    There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 73,810
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Democratic primary election

    Democratic primary for Missouri State Senate District 4

    Karla May defeated incumbent Jacob Hummel in the Democratic primary for Missouri State Senate District 4 on August 7, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Karla May
    		Karla May
     
    57.2
     
    		20,204
    Image of Jacob Hummel
    		Jacob Hummel
     
    42.8
     
    		15,137

    Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 35,341
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Republican primary election

    Republican primary for Missouri State Senate District 4

    Robert Crump advanced from the Republican primary for Missouri State Senate District 4 on August 7, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Robert Crump
    		Robert Crump
     
    100.0
     
    		4,731

    There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 4,731
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    2016[edit]

    See also: Missouri House of Representatives elections, 2016

    Elections for the Missouri House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 29, 2016.

    Incumbent Karla May ran unopposed in the Missouri House of Representatives District 84 general election.[1]

    Missouri House of Representatives, District 84 General Election, 2016
    Party Candidate
        Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Karla May Incumbent (unopposed)
    Source: Missouri Secretary of State


    Incumbent Karla May ran unopposed in the Missouri House of Representatives District 84 Democratic primary.[2][3]

    Missouri House of Representatives, District 84 Democratic Primary, 2016
    Party Candidate
        Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Karla May Incumbent (unopposed)



    2014[edit]

    See also: Missouri House of Representatives elections, 2014

    Elections for the Missouri House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 25, 2014. Incumbent Karla May was unopposed in the Democratic primary and was unopposed in the general election.[4][5][6]

    2012[edit]

    See also: Missouri House of Representatives elections, 2012

    May won re-election in the 2012 election for Missouri House of Representatives, District 84. May defeated Hope Whitehead and Mike Owens in the August 7 Democratic primary and ran unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[7][8]

    Missouri House of Representatives, District 84 Democratic Primary, 2012
    Candidate Vote % Votes
    Green check mark transparent.pngKarla May Incumbent 44.1% 2,470
    Mike Owens 32.9% 1,842
    Hope Whitehead 23% 1,287
    Total Votes 5,599

    2010[edit]

    See also: Missouri House of Representatives elections, 2010

    On November 2, 2010, May won election to the Missouri House of Representatives. She was unopposed in the general election.

    May defeated incumbent Hope Whitehead in the Democratic primary on August 3 by a margin of 1,380-1,342. Whitehead filed a lawsuit on August 24 challenging the results.

    Campaign finance summary[edit]

    Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

    Karla May campaign contribution history
    YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
    2024U.S. Senate MissouriLost primary$62,033 $61,772
    2022Missouri State Senate District 4Won general$162,984 $141,818
    2018Missouri State Senate District 4Won general$50,156 N/A**
    2016Missouri House of Representatives, District 84Won $44,065 N/A**
    2014Missouri House of Representatives, District 84Won $10,575 N/A**
    2012Missouri State House, District 84Won $36,175 N/A**
    2010Missouri State House, District 57Won $38,977 N/A**
    2006Missouri State House, District 57Lost $4,560 N/A**
    ** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
    Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

    Scorecards[edit]

    See also: State legislative scorecards, State legislative scorecards in Missouri

    A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

    Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

    Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

    Below you can find the scorecards found for the Missouri General Assembly in 2025.

    • Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
    • Freedom Principle Missouri — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
    • The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.

    Below you can find the scorecards found for the Missouri General Assembly in 2024.

    Below you can find the scorecards found for the Missouri General Assembly in 2023.

    Below you can find the scorecards found for the Missouri General Assembly in 2022.

    Below you can find the scorecards found for the Missouri General Assembly in 2021.

    Below you can find the scorecards found for the Missouri General Assembly in 2020.

    Below you can find the scorecards found for the Missouri General Assembly in 2019.

    Below you can find the scorecards found for the Missouri General Assembly in 2018.

    Below you can find the scorecards found for the Missouri General Assembly in 2017.

    Below you can find the scorecards found for the Missouri General Assembly in 2016.

    Below you can find the scorecards found for the Missouri General Assembly in 2015.

    Below you can find the scorecards found for the Missouri General Assembly in 2014.

    Below you can find the scorecards found for the Missouri General Assembly in 2013.

    Campaign themes[edit]

    Ballotpedia survey responses

    See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

    Karla May did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

    2024[edit]

    Code:

    Interview with St. Louis Public Radio[edit]

    Karla May highlighted the following themes in an interview with St. Louis Public Radio published on July 15, 2024. Text from the St. Louis Public Radio article follows below.[9]

    “

    May also said she is supportive of Israel, adding that the United States needs to back its allies — and be willing to criticize their political leadership when they’re wrong.

    “So if there's a problem with the way [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] is handling the war, we have a right to call them out on that,” May said. “But you still don't abandon your allies in the middle of a battle.”

    She reiterated that she supports continued assistance for Ukraine to repel Russia’s invasion. But May also said that as a U.S. senator, she would analyze any aid proposal to make sure it includes military support that will actually help Ukraine advance in the war that’s lasted for more than two years.

    “You don't blindly vote for anything,” May said. “You're going to have to evaluate every piece of legislation.”

    Abortion rights

    Like Kunce, May is supportive of abortion rights and said she would back legislation as a senator to expand access to the procedure throughout the country.

    Missouri banned most abortions in 2022 after the demise of Roe v. Wade, but the state’s voters may enact a constitutional amendment rolling back that measure and other abortion restrictions.

    “I think that abortion should be accessible for individuals who need to make that decision, point blank,” she said. [10]

    		”


    2022[edit]

    Karla May did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

    See also[edit]

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    External links[edit]

    Candidate

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    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "2016 general election results," accessed December 20, 2016
    2. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "Certified Candidate List," accessed April 28, 2016
    3. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "State of Missouri - Primary 2016 - August 2, 2016," accessed August 2, 2016
    4. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "All Results - State of Missouri - Primary Election - August 5, 2014," accessed August 26, 2014
    5. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "Certified Candidate List - Primary Election," accessed July 24, 2014
    6. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "All Results-State of Missouri-General-November 4, 2014: Unofficial Results," November 8, 2014
    7. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "Nov 6, 2012 General Election - All Results," accessed February 13, 2014
    8. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "Aug 7, 2012 Primary - All Results," accessed February 13, 2014
    9. ↑ St. Louis Public Radio, “Karla May says her statewide recognition means she can beat Lucas Kunce in Senate primary,” July 24, 2024
    10. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.


    Current members of the Missouri State Senate
    Leadership
    Majority Leader:Tony Luetkemeyer
    Minority Leader:Doug Beck
    Senators
    District 1
    Doug Beck (D)
    District 2
    District 3
    District 4
    Karla May (D)
    District 5
    District 6
    District 7
    District 8
    District 9
    District 10
    District 11
    District 12
    District 13
    District 14
    District 15
    District 16
    District 17
    District 18
    District 19
    District 20
    District 21
    District 22
    District 23
    District 24
    District 25
    District 26
    Ben Brown (R)
    District 27
    District 28
    District 29
    Mike Moon (R)
    District 30
    District 31
    District 32
    District 33
    District 34
    Republican Party (24)
    Democratic Party (10)



    Missouri's current delegation to the United States Congress
    Senators
    Josh Hawley (R)
    Eric Schmitt (R)
    Representatives
    District 1
    District 2
    District 3
    Bob Onder (R)
    District 4
    District 5
    District 6
    District 7
    District 8
    Republican Party (8)
    Democratic Party (2)


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