Editing Howell County, Missouri (section)

===Federal===
Missouri's two [[U.S. senator]]s are [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] [[Josh Hawley]] and [[Eric Schmitt]].
{{Election box begin|title=U.S. Senate — Missouri — Howell County (2016)}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Republican Party (United States)
  |candidate  = '''Roy Blunt'''
  |votes      = '''12,070'''
  |percentage = '''69.61%'''
  |change     = '''+18.26'''
  }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Jason Kander
  |votes      = 4,375
  |percentage = 25.23%
  |change     = -15.97
  }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Libertarian Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Jonathan Dine
  |votes      = 433
  |percentage = 2.50%
  |change     = -4.95
  }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Green Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Johnathan McFarland
  |votes      = 218
  |percentage = 1.26%
  |change     = +1.26
  }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Constitution Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Fred Ryman
  |votes      = 243
  |percentage = 1.40%
  |change     = +1.40
  }}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin|title=U.S. Senate — Missouri — Howell County (2012)}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Republican Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Todd Akin
  |votes      = 8,340
  |percentage = 51.35%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = '''Claire McCaskill'''
  |votes      = '''6,692'''
  |percentage = '''41.20%'''
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Libertarian Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Jonathan Dine
  |votes      = 1,210
  |percentage = 7.45%
  |change     =
}}
{{Election box end}}

All of Howell County is included in [[Missouri's 8th congressional district]] and is currently represented by [[Jason T. Smith]] of [[Salem, Missouri|Salem]] in the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]]. Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to complete the remaining term of former [[U.S. Representative]] [[Jo Ann Emerson]] of [[Cape Girardeau, Missouri|Cape Girardeau]]. Emerson announced her resignation a month after being reelected with over 70 percent of the vote in the district. She resigned to become CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative.
{{Election box begin|title=U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 8th Congressional District — Howell County (2016)}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Republican Party (United States)
  |candidate  = '''Jason T. Smith'''
  |votes      = '''13,655'''
  |percentage = '''80.64%'''
  |change     = '''+19.51'''
  }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Dave Cowell
  |votes      = 2,776
  |percentage = 16.38%
  |change     = +5.05
  }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Libertarian Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Jonathan Shell
  |votes      = 505
  |percentage = 2.98%
  |change     = +1.45
  }}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin|title=U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 8th Congressional District — Howell County (2014)}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Republican Party (United States)
  |candidate  = '''Jason T. Smith'''
  |votes      = '''4,742'''
  |percentage = '''61.13%'''
  |change     = '''-7.91'''
  }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Barbara Stocker
  |votes      = 879
  |percentage = 11.33%
  |change     = -7.36
  }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Libertarian Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Rick Vandeven
  |votes      = 119
  |percentage = 1.53%
  |change     = -0.39
  }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Constitution Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Doug Enyart
  |votes      = 163
  |percentage = 2.10%
  |change     = -8.25
  }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Independent (politician)
  |candidate  = Terry Hampton
  |votes      = 1,854
  |percentage = 23.90%
  |change     = +23.90
  }}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin|title=U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 8th Congressional District — Special Election — Howell County (2013)}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Republican Party (United States)
  |candidate  = '''Jason T. Smith'''
  |votes      = '''2,268'''
  |percentage = '''69.04%'''
  |change     = '''-8.16'''
  }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Steven Hodges
  |votes      = 614
  |percentage = 18.69%
  |change     = +0.75
  }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Libertarian Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Bill Slantz
  |votes      = 63
  |percentage = 1.92%
  |change     = -2.94
  }}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Constitution Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Doug Enyart
  |votes      = 340
  |percentage = 10.35%
  |change     = +10.35
  }}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin|title=U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 8th Congressional District — Howell County (2012)}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Republican Party (United States)
  |candidate  = '''Jo Ann Emerson'''
  |votes      = '''12,456'''
  |percentage = '''77.20%'''
  |change     =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Jack Rushin
  |votes      = 2,895
  |percentage = 17.94%
  |change     =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Libertarian Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Rick Vandeven
  |votes      = 784
  |percentage = 4.86%
  |change     =
}}
{{Election box end}}

====Political culture====
{{PresHead|place=Howell County, Missouri|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=February 22, 2021}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|15,733|3,073|215|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|15,181|3,218|277|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|13,893|2,881|681|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|11,544|4,395|407|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|10,982|5,736|311|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|11,097|5,118|164|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|9,018|4,641|416|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|5,991|5,261|2,272|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|5,360|5,492|2,685|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|7,277|4,324|44|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|8,204|3,767|0|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|7,149|4,472|282|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|4,692|5,265|78|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|7,253|2,795|0|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|5,631|2,763|1,444|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|4,632|4,968|0|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|7,095|2,734|0|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|5,473|3,066|0|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|6,608|3,349|26|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|4,427|3,599|34|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|5,151|3,020|14|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1940|Republican|6,158|4,218|21|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1936|Republican|5,297|4,725|42|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|3,660|4,775|105|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|4,869|2,543|49|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|3,130|2,681|682|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|4,344|2,323|202|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|2,132|1,861|252|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|1,465|1,565|1,264|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|2,164|1,827|245|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|2,089|1,605|219|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|2,059|1,975|182|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|1,892|2,373|33|Missouri}}
{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|1,484|1,642|413|Missouri}}
{{PresFoot|1888|Democratic|1,370|1,506|332|Missouri}}
Howell County is, like several [[rural]] counties located in the Ozarks, conservative and strongly [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] at the presidential level. [[Bill Clinton]] of neighboring [[Arkansas]] was the last [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] presidential nominee to win Howell County in 1992; he lost the county during his 1996 reelection bid and since then, voters in Howell County have decisively backed Republicans. Controversy occurred during the [[2008 United States presidential election|course of the 2008 presidential campaign]] over a billboard displayed near [[West Plains, Missouri|West Plains]] that depicted a picture of then-[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] presidential nominee [[Barack Obama]] in a turban. Some were offended by the billboard and deemed it racist.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130727153446/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2008-10-30/news/36866635_1_west-plains-anti-obama-sign-george-w-bush-s The Washington Post], Retrieved July 27, 2013.</ref>

Like most rural areas throughout Southeast Missouri, voters in Howell County generally adhere to socially and culturally [[Conservatism|conservative]] principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings. In 2004, Missourians voted on [[Missouri Constitutional Amendment 2 (2004)|a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman]]—it overwhelmingly won in Howell County with 83.36 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters. In 2006, Missourians voted on [[Missouri Constitutional Amendment 2 (2006)|a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state]]—it failed in Howell County with 57.97 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve [[Embryonic stem cell|embryonic stem cell research]]. Despite Howell County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing [[Populism|populist]] causes like increasing the [[minimum wage]]. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Howell County with 67.79 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 78.99 percent voting in favor. (During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.)