Polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, in the St. Louis County Council District 7 race between Republican incumbent Mark Harder and Democrat John Kiehne. Official vote totals have not yet been posted.
The St. Louis County Board of Elections posts official precinct results no later than two weeks after Election Day. We will update this article with totals, percentages and a results table when they become available.
What Was at Stake
Voters across Wildwood, Chesterfield, Eureka, Ballwin, Ellisville, Clarkson Valley and the St. Louis County portion of Pacific chose between two candidates for the District 7 seat.
Harder, 66, a real estate broker from Ballwin, sought a fourth term. He has held the seat since 2015 and is the council's longest-tenured member, according to St. Louis Public Radio. He previously served as Ballwin's mayor.
Kiehne, 59, of Eureka is a professional musician, producer and instructor, according to the Leader newspaper. He has sought elected office four times in the past decade.
The race played out against a $99 million county budget gap. St. Louis County leaders are reviewing a proposed $930 million operating budget for 2027 that includes eliminating 139 county positions, closing public swimming pools and reducing park ranger staffing, Hoodline reported.
Harder said he was open to revenue increases alongside spending cuts but ruled out laying off police officers. "It's a math problem," he told St. Louis Public Radio. "We have so much expenses and we have so much revenue, and we've got to try to get the two to meet."
Kiehne said the budget process needs more collaboration among council members, the county executive and department heads.
District 7 is the most reliably Republican in St. Louis County. Harder won his previous race by 16 percentage points. The council has five Democrats and two Republicans.
St. Louis County residents also voted for a new county executive and weighed in on two countywide measures, according to St. Louis Public Radio's election night coverage. Missouri precincts began reporting results after polls closed at 7 p.m.
