Democrat Lauren Arthur won a special election Tuesday for a Missouri state Senate seat in the Kansas City suburbs, defeating Republican state Rep. Kevin Corlew by 19 points, 59 percent to 40 percent. Arthur, a state House member and teacher, will replace Republican Ryan Silvey, who resigned in January to take a job on the state Public Service Commission. President Trump and 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney both won Missouri's 17th district by 4 points, though Democrat Jason Kandar won the district by 11 points in his unsuccessful 2016 U.S. Senate run.
This is the 42nd state legislative seat Democrats have flipped in special elections during Trump's presidency, though Republicans have also flipped a handful of Democratic seats in conservative areas. "Tonight's result is the latest example of the unprecedented energy we're seeing across the country, and further proof that when we organize, we can win everywhere," Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez said in a statement.