Nonprofit leader launches bid for state House

Last edited 2:03 p.m., March 29, 2022

Springfield nonprofit leader Amy Blansit, an activist in Zone 1 poverty reduction efforts in recent years, announced her bid for the Missouri House of Representatives.

Blansit is running for the District 133 seat in the Missouri House that's currently held by Rep. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, according to a news release. Trent is running for Missouri's 20th district spot in the Senate, which opened after Sen. Eric Burlison signaled campaign plans for Missouri's 7th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Blansit, who's running as a Democrat, previously sought the vacant Springfield City Council seat left open by Angela Romine in her bid as a Republican in the state Senate District 30 seat.

"Previously, I had thought the best way for me to serve our community was by serving on the City Council," Blansit said in the release. "Having spoken to other candidates, I believe that there are great leaders ready to serve in that role."

In the Missouri House, Blansit said she would take her experience working with Springfield families and students at Missouri State University as a professor of kinesiology.

"They want good jobs. They want access to affordable health care for their families. They want leaders who bring us together rather than pit us against each other," she said in the release. "I believe I can be the person to help our community achieve those goals."

Blansit is the founder and CEO of the Drew Lewis Foundation Inc., a key partner in the Northwest Project that concluded last year after helping to increase average monthly incomes and credit scores for participants. The Northwest project was located in The Fairbanks, an 1126 N. Broadway Ave. property Blansit purchased with her late husband, Drew Lewis, in 2013. A new program from the foundation launched last year called RISE, which stands for reaching independence through support and education, also operates in The Fairbanks, according to past reporting.

Candidates who have officially filed District 133 paperwork with the Missouri Ethics Commission are Republican Melanie Stinnett, the owner of TheraCare Outpatient Services LLC, and Democrat Samantha Deaton, an alderman in the city of Battlefield. Former Chillicothe City Administrator Darin Chappell, a Republican, previously sought the District 133 seat but switched to a bid for District 137.