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Rep. Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, was anointed the next Speaker of the Missouri House on Tuesday in a secret vote by his fellow Republicans.
The vote was technically just a GOP nomination, but because of the vast majority House Republicans enjoy, the future House vote to finalize his status is essentially a formality, barring a seismic change in the makeup of the legislature between Tuesday and January 2019.
Haahr, who as speaker pro tem is currently the No. 2 Republican in the House, will presumably be the first House Speaker elected from Springfield and Greene County. He is on pace to succeed Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, who will term out of office.
Though not available Tuesday night for an interview, Haahr released a statement through the House communications staff.
"I want to thank the members of my caucus for their support and their faith in my ability to lead them in the year to come," Haahr said in the statement. "We have accomplished great things together under the leadership of Speaker Richardson, and I hope to build on these successes by working together as a caucus to make our great state even greater."
He is an attorney who recently joined the Lathrop Gage firm. He lives in south-central Springfield with his wife Amanda and their four children.
Springfield Rep. Elijah Haahr will run for House speaker in 2018
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