Spouse(s) Allison | Preceded by Scott T. Rupp | |
Residence Lake St. Louis, Missouri | ||
Robert "Bob" Onder (born January 6, 1962) is an American politician and physician from the state of Missouri. A Republican, he is a member of the Missouri Senate serving the 2nd District, in the St. Louis area. Onder previously was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 2007 to 2008.
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Personal life
Onder graduated from Washington University School of Medicine, and is a physician specializing in allergy and asthma care.
Political campaigns
Onder served a single term in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2007 to 2008, having been elected in 2006.
In 2008, Onder left the state legislature to run for the US House in Missouri's 9th congressional district, where incumbent Kenny Hulshof was not seeking re-election. Onder lost the Republican primary election to Blaine Luetkemeyer.
In 2014, Onder ran for the Missouri Senate in the 2nd district, defeating Chuck Gatschenberger and Vicki Schneider in the Republican primary. No Democrats ran for the seat, so this primary victory was tantamount to election.
State Senate career
Onder introduced Senate Joint Resolution 39, a proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution that would prevent the state from penalizing religious organizations or businesses that deny services to same sex couples. This bill passed the Senate over a Democratic filibuster, but failed to make it out of committee in the House. Onder also advocated for ethics reform, most notably a "cooling off period" between when Missouri legislators leave office and when they can become lobbyists.
In the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, Onder endorsed Ted Cruz.