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Bob Onder
Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Missouri's 3rd district
Assuming office
January 3, 2025
SucceedingBlaine Luetkemeyer
Member of the Missouri Senate
from the 2nd district
In office
January 7, 2015 – January 4, 2023
Preceded byScott T. Rupp
Succeeded byNick Schroer
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives
from the 13th district
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 7, 2009
Preceded byScott T. Rupp
Succeeded byChuck Gatschenberger
Personal details
Born
Robert Onder Jr.[1]

(1962-01-06) January 6, 1962 (age 62)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseAllison Onder
Children6
EducationWashington University (BS, MD)
Saint Louis University (JD)

Robert Frank Onder Jr.[2] (born January 6, 1962) is an American politician and physician from the state of Missouri. A Republican, he was a member of the Missouri Senate from 2015 to 2022, serving the 2nd District in the St. Charles area. He was elected Assistant Majority Floor Leader in 2015. Onder previously was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 2007 to 2008.

In February 2024, he withdrew from a run for lieutenant governor and announced the launch of his campaign for Missouri's 3rd congressional district to replace retiring incumbent Blaine Luetkemeyer.[3][4] On August 6th, he won the Republican primary and will face Democrat Bethany Mann on November 5th.[5]

Personal life

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Onder attended St. Louis University High School, graduating in 1980.[6] Onder attended Washington University in St. Louis for his undergraduate degree, where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Economics. Onder subsequently graduated from Washington University School of Medicine,[7] and is a physician specializing in allergy and asthma care.[8] He later graduated from Saint Louis University School of Law. He and his wife Allison have six children.[9] Onder has recently obtained his Pilot’s license.[10] He is Roman Catholic.

Political campaigns

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Onder served a single term in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2007 to 2008, having been elected in 2006.

In 2008, Onder left the state legislature to run for the US House in Missouri's 9th congressional district, where incumbent Kenny Hulshof was not seeking re-election. Onder distinguished himself as one of the more fiscally conservative candidates, emphasizing his free-market voting record in the Missouri House and earning the endorsement of the Club for Growth.[11] Onder ultimately lost the Republican primary election to Blaine Luetkemeyer.[12]

In 2014, Onder ran for the Missouri Senate in the 2nd district, defeating Chuck Gatschenberger and Vicki Schneider in the Republican primary. No Democrats ran for the seat, so this primary victory was tantamount to election.[13] Onder ran for reelection in 2018 and defeated his Democratic challenger to earn a second term.[14]

In 2022, Onder announced his campaign for Saint Charles County Executive.[15] He withdrew from the Republican primary on June 7, 2022.[16]

In 2024, Onder announced his candidacy for Missouri's 3rd congressional district.

State House of Representatives career

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Immigration reform

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In 2008, Onder authored and sponsored HB 1549.[17] The bill forbids the creation of sanctuary cities in Missouri, allows for cancellation of state contracts for contractors who hire people illegally present in the United States, and requires public agencies to verify the legal status of immigrants before providing social service benefits.[18] Additionally the bill criminalized the transportation of immigrants for exploitative purposes. The bill passed the State House and Senate with strong support and was signed into law by Matt Blunt.

Abortion

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Onder also sponsored legislation[9] that would have strengthened Missouri's informed consent before abortion statute, including requiring abortion clinics to allow pregnant women the opportunity to view an ultrasound of the fetus.[19] The bill also would have criminalized coercing a woman to have an abortion through abuse, violence or threats. The bill passed the State House by a vote of 112-33 but died after a filibuster in the State Senate.

State Senate career

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Leadership

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In his first year in the Senate, Onder was elected to Senate leadership as Assistant Majority Floor Leader.[20] In 2017 he became the Chairman of the General Laws Committee.[21] Additionally, he serves as Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence. In 2016, Onder attended the 2016 Republican National Convention after his selection as a Trump delegate as part of the Missouri delegation.

Caucus membership

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Onder was a founding member of the Missouri Senate's Conservative Caucus.[22] The Conservative Caucus's top issues include regulatory reform, tort reform, health care reform, abortion, and gun rights.

Social issues

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In 2016, Onder introduced Senate Joint Resolution 39, a proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution that would protect wedding industry businesses that refuse to serve LGBTQIA+ couples. This bill passed the Senate over a Democratic filibuster,[23] but failed to make it out of committee in the House.[24]

Onder was an outspoken supporter of HB 1562,[25] a bill that expanded the crime of sex trafficking to include the advertisement of minors for prostitution or pornography.[26]

Onder is anti-abortion, he was the original author of legislation that requires annual, unannounced state inspections of healthcare clinics that provide reproductive healthcare; bars clinics from instructing ambulances to silence their sirens or turn their lights off; mandates that pathologists test fetal tissue; enacts whistleblower protections for employees of abortion clinics; and exempts pregnancy resource centers from a St. Louis ordinance[27] barring discrimination over reproductive choices.[28] Onder's bill received a few significant changes, such as changing the pathologist deadline from 24 hours to five days, and became Senate Bill 5,[29] with a new sponsor in Senator Andrew Koenig.[30] The bill was strengthened and passed by the Missouri House of Representatives, then passed by a vote of 22-9 in the Missouri Senate and signed by Governor Eric Greitens.[31]

In 2019, Onder strongly pushed for the Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act, a bill that banned abortion at eight weeks of pregnancy or later.[32] The bill also banned abortions due to race, sex or a diagnosis of Down syndrome. The Missouri Senate passed the bill 24-10, and was subsequently passed by the house.[32] The bill was signed into law by Governor Mike Parson.[33]

Ethics

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Onder also advocated for ethics reform, sponsoring and handling legislation that called for a "cooling off period" between when Missouri legislators leave office and when they can become lobbyists. Onder said that public service "is not supposed to be our pathway job into a lucrative lobbying job."[34] Additionally, Onder sponsored a bill that would have banned gifts from lobbyists to legislators in Missouri.[35]

Labor reform

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Onder supported legislation that would have made Missouri the 28th Right-to-Work state.[36] The bill passed through Onder's General Laws Committee before being sent to the Senate floor.[37] While the bill was signed into law by Eric Greitens, it was later repealed by ballot initiative.

Onder authored SB 182, a bill that banned union-only project labor agreements in Missouri. The bill was signed into law by Governor Greitens.[38]

In 2018, Onder handled HB 1413, a landmark public union bill that created transparency and accountability to protect the rights of Missouri public sector unions.[39] Onder passed the bill through the Senate and HB 1413 was signed into law.[40]

Economic issues

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In 2017, Onder was the Senate handler for HB 130,[41] a bill that creates a statewide regulatory framework for transportation networking companies. The bill passed with overwhelming support by a vote of 144-7 in the House and by 30-1 in the Senate.[42] Missouri Governor Eric Greitens signed the bill into law.[43]

In 2019, Onder introduced bills aimed at deregulating the Missouri economy. One of Onder's bills would only require cars 10 years old or older and 150,000 miles to be inspected, as opposed to 5 year old cars as under current law. Onder claimed the inspection requirement is a waste of time and money for citizens. "It disrupts the single mom, the senior citizens, the working parents day and their week these unnecessary and costly inspections," Onder stated.[44]

Onder worked to defeat a proposed HMO tax in 2019.[45] On his opposition to the tax, Onder stated: "Two of my most important promises to my constituents when I ran for Senate were to fight the rising costs of health care for businesses and their employees, and to oppose tax increases. So when a new health insurance tax was proposed by my own party, I was obligated to oppose it, regardless of political cost." Due to the opposition of Onder and other senators, the HMO tax proposal was removed.[46]

In 2020, Onder introduced SB 560, a bill that would grant state licensing reciprocity to nonresident military spouses.[47] While testifying in favor of his bill before the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, Onder declared: "military spouses do not lose their knowledge or skills as they cross state lines in the service to their country. This is the least we can do for these heroes and their families."[48]

Second Amendment

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In 2019, Onder introduced legislation to allow people with concealed carry permits to bring a firearm onto public transit. Onder cited safety concerns and problems of crime on public transit. Onder said that the current law prevents "the right of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves."[49] The bill did not pass that session, so Onder refiled it for the 2020 legislative session.[50]

Committee assignments (2019–2021)

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  • Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy & the Environment
  • Education
  • Health and Pensions, Chairman
  • Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence, (Vice-Chairman)
  • Ways and Means
  • Joint Committee on Administrative Rules
  • Joint Committee on Public Assistance
  • Joint Committee on Tax Policy
  • Select Committee on Redistricting
  • Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment

Committee assignments (2017–2019)

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  • Health and Pensions (Chairman)
  • Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence (Vice-Chairman)
  • Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy & the Environment
  • Education
  • Ways and Means
  • Joint Committee on Administrative Rules
  • Joint Committee on Tax Policy

Legislative awards and other honors

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Onder has won several awards during his time in the Missouri Senate, including

  • 2015 Missouri Academy of Family Physicians Award
  • 2015 Missouri Centurion Award
  • 2015 Missouri Alliance for Freedom Champion of Freedom Award
  • 2015 Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry Freshman of the Year Award
  • 2016 American Conservative Union Conservative Excellence Award
  • 2016 Missouri Family Policy Council Missouri Family Champion Award
  • 2016 Missouri Dental Association Legislative Excellence Award
  • 2017 Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys Legislative Champion Award
  • 2017 Missouri Chamber of Commerce Spirit of Enterprise Award[51]
  • 2018 American Legislative Exchange Council Legislator of the Week Award
  • 2019 Missouri Solar Energy Industries Association Award
  • 2020 Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys Legislative Champion Award
  • 2020 American Conservative Union Award for Conservative Excellence[21][52]

Electoral history

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2006 Primary Election for Missouri's 13th District House of Representatives[53]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Onder 2,685 46.1
Republican Chuck Gatschenberger 1,051 18.0
Republican Paul Espinoza 1,039 17.8
Republican Denise Hackman 723 12.4
Republican Stephanie Bell 327 5.2
Total votes 5,825 100
2006 General Election for Missouri's 13th District House of Representatives[54]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Onder 16,406 100
Total votes 16,406 100
2008 Primary Election for Missouri's 9th Congressional District[55]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer 21,543 39.7
Republican Bob Onder 15,752 29.0
Republican Danielle Moore 10,609 19.5
Republican Brock Olivo 5,501 10.1
Republican Dan Bishir 890 1.6
Total votes 54,295 100
2014 Primary Election for Missouri's 2nd Senate District[56]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Onder 14,305 63.575
Republican Vicki Schneider 4,561 20.27
Republican Chuck Gatschenberger 3,635 16.155
Total votes 22,501 100
2014 General Election for Missouri's 2nd Senate District[57]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Onder 37,607 100
Total votes 37,607 100
2018 Primary Election for Missouri's 2nd Senate District[58]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Onder 21,842 100
Total votes 21,842 100
2018 General Election for Missouri's 2nd Senate District[59]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Onder 52,197 59.7
Democratic Patrice Billings 35,258 40.3
Total votes 87,455 100
Republican primary results by county:
  Onder
  •   40–50%
      50–60%
  •   60–70%
  Schaefer
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
2024 Primary Election for Missouri's 3rd Congressional District[60]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Onder 48,785 47.4%
Republican Kurt Schaefer 38,331 37.2%
Republican Bruce Bowman 4,500 4.4%
Republican Justin Hicks 4,420 4.3%
Republican Kyle Bone 3,542 3.4%
Republican Chad Bicknell 1,840 1.8%
Republican Arnie Dienoff 1,557 1.5%
Total votes 102,975 100.0%

References

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  1. ^ "Robert F. Onder Jr., MD | Allergy and Immunology, Internal Medicine | Saint Louis, MO".
  2. ^ "Rep. Bob Onder - R Missouri, 3rd - Biography". LegiStorm. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  3. ^ Hancock, Jason (February 2, 2024). "Bob Onder drops bid for Lt. Governor, jumps into congressional race". KSDK. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  4. ^ "Former St. Charles County lawmaker Bob Onder jumps into congressional race". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 2, 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  5. ^ "Bob Onder defeats Kurt Schaefer to win GOP nomination in 3rd Congressional District • Missouri Independent". August 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "SLUH News by SLUH - Issuu". issuu.com. January 22, 2009. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  7. ^ "Official Campaign biography". Archived from the original on 2016-09-12. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  8. ^ Schlinkmann, Mark (August 1, 2014). "3 Republicans compete for western St. Charles County's state Senate seat". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  9. ^ a b "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  10. ^ "Legislator of the Week: Missouri State Senator Bob Onder".
  11. ^ Blake, Aaron (July 18, 2008). "Club for Growth inserts itself in Missouri race". Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  12. ^ Rosenbaum, Jason (August 6, 2008). "Ninth District contest sets up". Columbia Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on 2016-10-02. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  13. ^ Rosenbaum, Jason (August 5, 2014). "Onder Completes Comeback With Landslide Victory For Senate Seat; Incumbents Fare Well In Other Races". KWMU. St. Louis. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  14. ^ "Republican delegates from Missouri, 2016". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  15. ^ Bob Onder for Missouri - accessed May 29, 2022
  16. ^ "State Sen. Bob Onder drops out of Republican primary for St. Charles County Executive". June 7, 2022.
  17. ^ "Activities for HB1549". house.mo.gov. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  18. ^ "Gov. Blunt: New illegal immigration bill among 'strongest legislation in the country'". Joplin Globe.
  19. ^ "AUL Attorney Testifies in Missouri – Americans United for Life". Archived from the original on 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  20. ^ "MISSOURI LEADERSHIP IN THE SENATE & HOUSE". MISSOURI INDEPENDENT BANKERS ASSOCIATION - MIBA. Archived from the original on 2018-02-10. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  21. ^ a b "Senator Bob Onder". Missouri Senate.
  22. ^ Shurr, Alisha (January 25, 2019). "GOP senators form Conservative Caucus". Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  23. ^ Kennedy, Merrit (March 9, 2016). "Epic Missouri Filibuster Over Bill Shielding Opponents Of Same-Sex Weddings Ends". NPR. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  24. ^ Fenske, Sarah (April 27, 2016). "Religious Freedom Bill, SJR 39, Fails in Committee". The Riverfront Times. St. Louis. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  25. ^ "Roll Calls". House.mo.gov. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  26. ^ Travis Zimpfer (June 22, 2016). "Nixon signs Haahr's bill to combat human trafficking". The Missouri Times.
  27. ^ "St. Louis anti-discrimination law at issue in special session could be kept largely intact". June 29, 2017.
  28. ^ "Missouri governor signs new abortion regulations". July 25, 2017.
  29. ^ "Closed-door negotiations produce abortion bill no Missouri legislator is happy with". June 16, 2017.
  30. ^ "SB5 - Modifies several provisions relating to abortion".
  31. ^ "St. Louis Review | Archdiocese of St Louis".
  32. ^ a b Missouri Senate Passes Bill That Would Ban Abortions After 8 Weeks : NPR
  33. ^ "Near-total ban on abortion approved by Missouri House, heads to governor". May 18, 2019.
  34. ^ Erickson, Kurt (February 18, 2016). "Ethics overhaul falters in Missouri Senate". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  35. ^ "Sponsors of lobbyist gift ban hope for action when Missouri session resumes". March 24, 2016.
  36. ^ Maher, Kris (February 7, 2017). "Missouri Becomes 28th Right-to-Work State". Wall Street Journal.
  37. ^ "Actions". www.senate.mo.gov. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  38. ^ Zimpfer, Travis (April 27, 2017). "House sends Onder's PLA bill to governor's desk". Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  39. ^ "Missouri Revolutionizes Public Sector Labor Law, Part Three: Union Reporting and Other Obligations". The National Law Review. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  40. ^ "Missouri's Greitens Guts Public-Sector Unions on His Way out the Door". June 7, 2018.
  41. ^ "HB 130". House.mo.gov. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  42. ^ Zimpfer, Travis (April 13, 2017). "Uber bill breaks through General Assembly, headed to governor's desk". Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  43. ^ "With Greitens signature, Uber and Lyft can operate throughout Missouri". April 25, 2017. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  44. ^ Reporter, Caitlin McCarthy, Komu 8 (March 27, 2019). "Update Missouri bill could change how often car inspections are needed". KOMU 8. Retrieved 2023-09-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  45. ^ "Some Senators take strong stand against HMO tax, but fight is not over – Associated Industries of Missouri". Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  46. ^ "Proposed HMO tax is removed following filibuster – Associated Industries of Missouri". Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  47. ^ "HCS/SCS/SBs 673 & 560 - This act modifies provisions relating to professional registration". Missouri Senate.
  48. ^   Facebook post [user-generated source]
  49. ^ "Proposed Law Would Allow Concealed Guns on Missouri Public Transit". February 3, 2019.
  50. ^ "NRA-ILA | Missouri: Gun Bills Filed for 2020 Session".
  51. ^ "Missouri Chamber presents four lawmakers with the Spirit of Enterprise Award". Archived from the original on 2017-12-11. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  52. ^ "Ratings of Missouri 2020" (PDF). CENTER FOR LEGISLATIVE ACCOUNTABILITY. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  53. ^ August 2006 election resultssos.mo.gov Archived 2017-01-01 at the Wayback Machine
  54. ^ 2006 election resultsos.mo.gov Archived 2017-04-28 at the Wayback Machine
  55. ^ 2008 election resultssos.mo.gov Archived 2017-03-02 at the Wayback Machine
  56. ^ "State of Missouri - Election Night Results".
  57. ^ "State of Missouri - Election Night Results".
  58. ^ "State of Missouri - Election Night Results".
  59. ^ "State of Missouri - Election Night Results".
  60. ^ https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/s_default/ [bare URL]
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