Mike McCaffree and Sam Alexander Face Off in Missouri Senate District 28 Race

With Election Day arriving on November 3, 2026, the race for Missouri Senate District 28 has entered its final stretch across a sprawling nine-county region, featuring a sharp contrast in background and priorities between Democrat Mike McCaffree and Republican Sam Alexander, sedaliademocrat.com reported.

The contest pits McCaffree, a Nevada businessman and former school board member, against Alexander, an emergency physician who has worked in farming and the skilled trades. Both candidates have spent the closing weeks of the campaign traveling extensively through the district, balancing grueling schedules to connect directly with voters.

“Very good, very, very busy,” McCaffree said of his campaign, noting that the district’s vast territory requires him to be out campaigning six to seven days a week. Across the aisle, Alexander said his schedule has remained relentless since the primary election, sometimes involving up to seven events in a single day. “We don’t take anything for granted,” Alexander said. “I’m a hard worker, and we worked, worked really hard during our primary, and we’ve been more busy afterwards.”

This Week in Missouri Politics State Fair – SD 28 Candidate Sam Alexander

Classrooms, Care, and Communities

McCaffree anchors his legislative vision in decades of small-business ownership and 17 years of service on the Nevada school board. Pointing out that his wife is a teacher and his children attended public schools in Nevada, he identifies public education, health care, and housing as his core priorities. Teacher retention and compensation form a major pillar of his platform, particularly as state rankings lag. “Our teachers are paid next to last in the nation,” McCaffree said. “I think we need to do better, take better care of our teachers.”

Beyond the classroom, McCaffree argues that schools, hospitals, and housing function as the three indispensable pillars of rural longevity. Operating in a conservative-leaning region, he stresses a pragmatic willingness to bridge partisan divides. When asked about working across the aisle, McCaffree confirmed his commitment to bipartisan cooperation, stating he maintains strong friendships with Republicans and intends to preserve them in office.

Alexander Uses Medical Background to Champion Local Control

Having practiced emergency medicine since age 21—including stints at Bothwell Regional Health Center during his residency at Truman Medical Center—Alexander argues that his blue-collar and medical background equips him to understand the genuine needs of working families.

“I tell people, every job that I’ve done in my life has prepared me for this, to represent the people of this district and the Senate,” Alexander said.

A central theme of Alexander’s campaign is recalibrating the dynamic between state government in Jefferson City and local municipalities. He contends that state officials have lost touch with county and municipal leaders, asserting that county commissioners and local committees deserve a commanding voice in shaping state policy. Healthcare access forms his other major focus, rooted in his firsthand view of rural hospital economics. Stressing that a town’s hospital is critical to both patient survival and economic stability, he warns that losing local facilities forces residents to seek care—and spend their money—elsewhere.

Voters across Cedar County and the broader nine-county district can review candidate rosters, registration deadlines, and local sample ballots by consulting official filings on the official Missouri election office hub or through county tracking resources provided by platforms like theballotbrief.com.