Steve Ehlmann has won a sixth term as St. Charles County executive, cruising past Democratic challenger David Veneziano by a comfortable margin in unofficial results. The Republican incumbent, who has run the county since 2007, received 56% of the vote to Veneziano's 44% with all precincts reporting.
The margin was reported by stlpr.org, which also noted that Ehlmann's win came as Republicans dominated elections to lead St. Louis' collar counties this cycle. The outlet reported that Republican Tim Whitney defeated Democrat David Frank 60% to 40% in the Jefferson County executive race, while in Franklin County, Dave Schatz took 46% of the vote for presiding commissioner compared to 41% for Richele Landa. FOX 2 first reported Ehlmann's win locally, framing it as a sixth consecutive term for the longtime county leader.
Ehlmann's path to a sixth term wasn't a straight line. He announced plans in 2023 to retire from the county executive's office at the end of his then-current term, only to reverse course in 2025 and seek reelection after all, according to the seed facts behind FOX 2's reporting. He cited the county's population gains, road creation, and economic growth as reasons for running again.
A Crowded Republican Primary First
Before facing Veneziano in the general election, Ehlmann had to get past a competitive GOP primary in August, defeating former state Sen. Bill Eigel, a former Missouri gubernatorial candidate, and former Lake St. Louis Mayor Jason Law by a comfortable margin, per the same account from stlpr.org. That primary fight set up a general election in a county that has leaned reliably Republican for years.
Ehlmann brings a long resume to the role. Before becoming county executive, he served as a circuit judge and spent time in both the Missouri House and Senate. As county executive, he oversees day-to-day county government operations, manages the annual county budget, approves contracts, and works with local, state and federal leaders on regional policy matters.
Veneziano Saw An Opening For Democrats
Veneziano, a Massachusetts native with a background in business administration and biotechnology, was the Democratic Party's first challenger for the county executive seat since 2018. He currently works for a nonprofit that does blood testing for the vast majority of the United States, he told the outlet in October.
Veneziano said he considered running because he thought it would be a disservice to voters not to have a Democratic option on the ballot. He argued that Democrats have been getting more organized in St. Charles County and said he was hearing from residents who were frustrated with GOP leadership. Asked whether the race had become a referendum on national politics, Veneziano didn't dodge the question: “Has this race turned into a potential referendum at the national level? It is. I can't deny that,” he said.
What Comes Next
The St. Charles County Election Authority has scheduled a manual recount and hand-count audit of paper ballots for Friday, Nov. 6, at 9 a.m., followed by a Verification Board on Nov. 13 at 9 a.m., according to the St. Charles County Election Authority. The results reported so far are unofficial. Ehlmann's new term, his sixth, is set to begin in January 2027.
