First of all, I want to thank the folks who attended our Kickoff Event this last Thursday supporting this campaign’s efforts to defeat Republican incumbent Councilman Mark Harder and flip the 7th Council District blue. I also appreciate those folks who had other commitments or were unable to attend who checked in to voice their support for this campaign.

We had a great, fired up crowd, and we were really impressed with the venue as well. We’ll most certainly be hosting events at Salt + Smoke again in the future! It was fantastic to see so many people from different paths and chapters of my life- from musician friends to folks who are active in the Democratic Party to local Democratic candidates and electeds and beyond, the energy was fantastic, the food and entertainment was top-notch, and I’m confident that with committed efforts and ample support we will win this race in November.

Special shoutout to Michelle Kiehne for her help in setting up the event and greeting the folks at the door and Louisa Swafford for taking pictures, video, and helping us pack up. Your assistance is very much appreciated!!!

This race, in this political environment, is a great opportunity for us to win an election while defeating and replacing a Republican politician supporting a right-wing agenda. It’s also an opportunity to make a little history by flipping a seat that’s been held by Republican politicians for many years while also helping raise the the tide for the other Democratic candidates with whom we’ll be sharing the ballot.

My efforts over the last eight years have consistently improved the support for my campaigns in this part of the world, and based on our estimation, we’re starting at around 45% for a Democrat on the ballot in a District where Reproductive Rights and the $15 Minimum Wage/Paid Sick Leave Ballot Initiatives earned over 58% of the vote.

In November 2026 we can defeat Mark Harder and flip District 7, but I cannot do it alone. Here’s where the rubber hits the road…

Here’s where we go from here: Our current priority is raising money, putting together our campaign team, creating and promoting media content to broadcast our message and raise awareness of this campaign, and to identify and activate our strong supporters in District 7. In a nutshell- we’re building a sturdy, robust foundation for a winning political campaign.

The first stop for our recruiting and activation efforts are to deploy poll greeters on April 7 at polling locations within District 7 to hand out Kiehne campaign literature to the voters participating in the municipal elections.

Below are the polling locations within District 7:

CHESTERFIELD CITY HALL- 690 W CHESTERFIELD PKWY, 63017
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF CHESTERFIELD- 17103 WILD HORSE CREEK RD, 63005
GREEN TRAILS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL- 170 PORTICO DR, 63017
HIGHCROFT RIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL- 15380 HIGHCROFT DR, 63017
SHENANDOAH VALLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL- 15399 APPALACHIAN TRL, 63017
WILDHORSE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL- 16695 WILD HORSE CREEK RD, 63005
BABLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL- 1955 SHEPARD RD, 63038
BALLWIN REC GOLF CLUB- 333 HOLLOWAY RD, 63011
BLUEBIRD PARK ADMIN BUILDING- 225 KIEFER CREEK RD, 63021
CRESTVIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL- 16025 CLAYTON RD, 63011
DANIEL BOONE BRANCH LIBRARY- 300 CLARKSON RD, 63011
EUREKA HILLS BRANCH LIBRARY- 500 WORKMAN RD, 63025
EUREKA-PACIFIC ELKS LODGE- 19 W 1st St, 63025
MARQUETTE HIGH SCHOOL- 2351 CLARKSON RD, 63017
OAK BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL- 510 BIG BEND RD, 63021
PARKWAY WEST HIGH SCHOOL- 14653 CLAYTON RD, 63011
PATHFINDER CHURCH- 15808 MANCHESTER RD, 63011
RIDGE MEADOW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL- 777 RIDGE RD, 63021
ROCKWOOD VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL- 1220 BABLER PARK DR, 63038
SORRENTO SPRINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL- 390 TUMULTY DR, 63021
ST MARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- 601 CLAYMONT DR, 63011
STLCC WILDWOOD CAMPUS- 2645 GENERATIONS DR, 63040
TAIWANESE PRESBYTARIAN CHURCH- 542 RIES RD, 63021
THE POINTE AT BALLWIN COMMONS- 1 BALLWIN COMMONS CIR- 63021
TIMBERS OF EUREKA- 1 COFFEY PARK LN, 63025
VFW POST 6274-BALLWIN MEMORIAL- 115 MIMOSA LN, 63011
WILDWOOD CITY HALL- 16860 MAIN ST- 63040

We’ll be working on filling three shifts at each polling location- morning, noon, and evening. If you’re available and interested in participating please contact us at kiehneformissouri.com/volunteer.

If you or someone that you know is interested in hosting a meet and greet to introduce your friends, family, and neighbors to John and our campaign, please contact us at events@kiehneformissouri.com.
District 7 includes the communities of Eureka, Wildwood, Chesterfield, Ballwin, Ellisville, Crescent, Sherman, Allenton, Clarkson Valley, and Winchester.

Also, we’ve rebranded the Kiehne team as “The Kiehne Action Network,” and going forward we’ll be hashtagging and branding our team as #KiehneAction. We have an ambitious vision of building a lasting network of support that will not only deliver a victory for this campaign and promote robust community engagement year-round, but also help build support for other Democratic candidates in West County post-election. The “action” part is what’s most impactful in my opinion, as we need to commit to consistent, bold, and effective action that will help us to elect better public servants in West St. Louis County and beyond. Please “like” and “follow” @kiehneaction on whatever social media platforms that you frequent.

Now let’s get to work and win this thing!!!!