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Print this pageGO Getter: Lincoln Hough
You might have seen political billboards pop up recently for one Lincoln Hough. Hough, 26, is running August 5 against incumbent Republican Roseanne Bentley (a former state Senator) for Greene County’s Eastern Associate Commissioner’s seat. Lincoln graduated in 2006 with a political science/English degree from Missouri State University and has spent the last two years developing a cattle and real estate business. He’s entertained thoughts of law school (he’s on a waiting list at the University of Colorado) but really relishes the six months he spent in Jefferson City in college, serving as an intern. Here’s a little more about Greene County’s would-be GOP pot-stirrer.
[Editor: This profile is not, in any way, an endorsement of Lincoln Hough. He is simply a 26-year-old putting together a solid campaign against a local political institution. There’s nothing more GO Getter-like than that].
When did you get the thought that you’d like to make a run for this seat?
In the last year and a half I’ve gotten a lot more in-depth [in county politics]. And when I started looking at how the county works, the same half a dozen names kept coming up. As I started talking with residents and friends, nobody really knew what the county commissioners were doing, what their jobs were.
Still, couldn’t you have picked a little easier target?
Good question… An easier target would have been nice.
Were you Republican born and raised, or is that just what you think you have to run as to win in Springfield?
I’ve always been more of a conservative person. In Jefferson City I tried very hard to stay out of partisan politics… I’ve never drawn a line in the sand and said I’m on one side or the other.
… Until now. What made the decision?
I’m more of a conservative, and the district is about 70 percent Republican to 30 percent Democrat, anyway, so some people probably think that plays a lot into how people run. Besides, to file as something you don’t agree with would be backward to everything you’re supposed to do, anyway.
You’ve got quite a few big billboards up. Campaigns aren’t cheap. How does a 26-year-old get a campaign off the ground?
Put some seed money in right off the bat; to get anything going you’ve got to have some cash, and you need to have some of your own money in it to show people you’re vested, not just taking donations. I’ve been fortunate to be successful in what I do, and I’ve always been pretty smart with my money… and I have been very pleased with the support I’ve gotten from the community.
How has the Republican establishment handled having a 26-year-old as a candidate?
That was one of my reservations about getting into this. As much as you want to think that this is how politics work, there are old-school Republican and Democratic guards in the community, and if you’re not part of this organization, or this committee, you’re seen as an outsider. I’ve never been associated with the Republican party before, never volunteered, or done a drive or anything like that. I haven’t taken any direct heat over it, but I’m sure there are some grumblings somewhere.
What do you do in your free time?
I run triathlons.
How does a triathlon prepare you for politics? Any parallels?
A lot of preparation time, and the more you put into it, the better your results are.
