Mary Ann Perkins

Mary Ann Perkins graduated from Lafayette High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in 2000, a graduate degree from California State University in 2008, and a graduate degree from Webster University in 2019. Her career experience includes working as a fundraiser.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am running to represent Ballwin in the Missouri Legislature (House District 100), because we deserve to have a representative who truly represents us – voting for our interests and elevating our voices, not ignoring them.

I’m from here, and I work at WashU. I was an ’80s kid, a Rockwood School District kid – Ellisville Elementary, Crestview, and then Lafayette. I lived overseas for a couple of decades in my 20s and 30s, working first as a Department of Defense contractor in Germany and then for the United Nations in Lebanon and Thailand. My two daughters were both born overseas.

Even from the other side of the world, I could tell that life back home was changing. Gun violence got a whole lot worse, and tuition, childcare, and healthcare costs skyrocketed while wages stayed flat. Meanwhile, local politicians who should have been finding solutions just made everything worse.

I believe we can fix what has been broken, and it starts with electing people like me who believe in democracy and believe that the government must respect the voice of the people.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We deserve a State Legislature that respects the will of the people, and our district deserves a representative who hears and amplifies our voices and represents our values in Jefferson City. Corrupt politicians are representing wealthy donors instead of "we the people". We will all be worse off if gerrymandering and other attacks on voting and voters go unchallenged. Grassroots organizing Statewide has mobilized Missourians against these attacks.I graduated from Lafayette HS, and 27 years later my daughter graduated from Marquette HS. We both benefited from the kind of education every child in Missouri deserves, no matter what corner of the State they call home. But the Republican agenda for Missouri is de-funding our public schools under a scam called "School Choice". I will protect public education for every child in our district and across the State.Here in Missouri, Republican legislators are obsessed with controlling choices about your body. Voters in Missouri overturned the Legislature's abortion ban at the ballot box in 2024. In District 100 we overturned their abortion ban with 62% of the vote, and we can defeat Republicans attacks again in 2026. I stand with the strong majority in our district that voted for our constitutional right to make these choices without extreme government interference.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I will fight to uphold rights and freedoms that no government should ever take away - like our right to participate in our democracy and have a voice. I will fight for freedom from extreme government interference in our health care decisions, the right to public education, and a tax structure that protects the most vulnerable from shouldering an even greater burden. I will fight for polices that uphold human rights and universal human dignity.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

UAW

Access MO

National Women’s Political Caucus

Rockwood Labor Club

LiUNA

AFL-CIO

Teamsters

Sheetmetal Workers

Carpenters Union

IBEW