State Rep. John Burnett early Tuesday night declared victory for a third time over challenger John Rizzo.
Burnett, speaking to a crowd of supporters in the River Market, said this primary victory was not about winning. Rather, he said, the victory proved that Northeast residents approved of the work he has already done in Jefferson City.
Voters will send Burnett back to the Capitol with 57 percent of the vote. Burnett enjoyed more of a cushion in this election winning with 933 votes as Rizzo garnered only 636. No Republican filed in this race.
“I am really happy with the way things turned out,” Burnett said. “I did not want to win another narrow victory. I wanted to ... know that what I was going to do in the next two years had the support of the voters.”
In their last meeting, Burnett won by only seven votes.
Rizzo, meeting with supporters and campaign managers less than two blocks away from Burnett’s party, said he attributed the election results to Burnett’s negative attacks on him and his efforts to help the neighborhoods.
“He wanted to make this more about me and not about the issues,” Rizzo said. “And it worked, I guess.”
But the night was not completely lost for Rizzo as he beat Will Royster in an oddly high-profile committeeman race in the 11th Ward. Rizzo said he plans to use that seat to continue to help the neighborhoods. Rizzo would not say whether he planned to run again in two years for the legislative seat as Burnett will be forced out because of term limits.
