Republican incumbent 7th District Congressman Billy Long will face Democrat Genevieve “Gen” Williams in the November election. Williams defeated Camille Lombardi-Olive and Steven Reed in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
According to Williams, she’s the sixth generation of her family to live in Newton County, and the district, she said, needs a representative who can connect with rural residents.
"I think it's really time that we have someone that not only understands what goes on in the larger parts of the 7th District--Springfield and Nixa and Ozark and also focuses on parts of the district that aren't in Greene and Christian Counties because I think they've been largely ignored for a long time," she said.
One issue she’d focus on if elected, she said, is transportation and infrastructure issues.
"I cannot tell you the issues we have with some of our roads and bridges in the rural part of the 7th Congressional District, and that's not just a state issue. That funding comes from Congress," she said.
According to Williams, more money needs to be directed towards maintaining existing infrastructure.
