I need to tell you about Joe Steelman’s Missouri State Senate campaign because I have insights you won’t find in any press release or campaign biography.
I grew up with Joe in rural Missouri, and here’s the thing: I wasn’t even a conservative in high school, but he was.
His mother, Sarah Steelman, served as Missouri’s State Treasurer and in the state senate before that. Those are some serious conservative credentials that made Joe the ‘Republican kid’ everyone knew. Oh, and he was also a high school football star.
While pedigree can make you prominent, kindness makes you influential. And while success can get you far, character makes you admired. Joe is admired in his community.
Here’s what made Joe remarkable: he lived conservative principles authentically every day.
He became the preeminent conservative in my life long before I even understood what that meant. He was my first and best example of what authentic conservatism looked like in practice.
Character Tested When No One Was Watching
During our senior year of high school, my family situation fell apart. My father took a job in another city, leaving me essentially on my own.
Meanwhile, Joe had everything going for him—he was popular, good-looking (he even had hair back then), and the star athlete from a prominent family. I was barely getting by while working part-time at the Waffle House.
The social gap between us couldn’t have been wider, and we had almost nothing in common except that we both loved football (and still do.)
In our Current Events and Crime & Justice classes, we disagreed on virtually everything. I was still in Liberal La-La Land, but Joe never made me feel inferior or like my opinion couldn’t be voiced. He debated with respect and genuine interest in understanding different perspectives.
Think about how we treat people who are more vulnerable than us, especially when we disagree with them on the issues. That’s the kind of character that can’t be manufactured for a campaign: it’s either there or it isn’t.
Years later, when I finally joined the conservative cause and registered as a Republican, I couldn’t wait to tell Joe! After all, he was the one who had first shown me what principled conservatism actually looked like.
I’ve worked on dozens of conservative campaigns since then and written political commentary for years. So, it’s a great honor to have this platform to come full circle and tell you about the first real conservative I ever knew.
The Conservative Movement’s Authenticity Problem
This personal history matters because the conservative movement faces a credibility crisis.
Too many candidates discover conservative principles just in time for their first campaign. We see vanity candidates who think name recognition or wealth substitutes for principle. We see career politicians who change positions based on polling data. We see candidates who talk conservative, but live liberal.
Voters can sense the difference between authentic conviction and political calculation.
Joe Steelman represents something increasingly rare:
A conservative who was shaped by these principles when it actually mattered. He could have taken any number of easier paths, but instead chose to demonstrate conservative character consistently over decades.
I went to school not only with Joe but also his wife, Jonna.
I’ve watched them build the kind of conservative family that strengthens communities from the ground up. Today, they’re raising four children with the same values that shaped Joe’s character decades ago.
When Joe talks about constitutional principles being “God-given and non-negotiable,” he’s not reading from a consultant’s playbook.
Joe’s business background in technology and his community involvement as a youth football coach and church member demonstrate conservative values in action, not just in theory.
Missouri’s Critical Role in National Conservative Strategy
For Nevada conservatives, Missouri’s political trajectory matters enormously. The state hasn’t supported a Democratic presidential candidate since 1996 and maintains a Republican trifecta with veto-proof majorities in both legislative chambers.
Missouri leads on issues we care about: constitutional carry, parental rights in education, fiscal responsibility, and resistance to federal overreach.
But I saw troubling signs during my last visit ‘home’ in 2020.
New liberal influences are creeping into traditionally conservative areas. Even in rural Missouri, the progressive movement is making substantial gains. Districts that once elected conservative Republicans without serious opposition now face competitive races against well-funded Democratic challengers.
This makes Joe’s candidacy strategically important beyond Missouri’s borders. When authentic conservatives succeed in America’s reddest states, it strengthens the movement’s position everywhere. When they lose primary battles to less principled alternatives, it signals a broader weakness that opponents will exploit.
What Nevada Conservatives Should Do
For transparency, I’ve already contributed to Joe’s campaign because this isn’t just about one state senate race, it’s about supporting the kind of authentic conservative leadership the movement desperately needs.
His announcement captured why authentic conservative leadership matters:
“President Trump’s willingness to disrupt Washington and question long-held beliefs shows what’s possible when leaders have courage. Missouri deserves that same boldness in Jefferson City—leadership committed to breaking the mold and delivering real results.”
More importantly, use Joe’s example as a standard for evaluating candidates in your own races. Look for leaders who were shaped by conservative principles when no one was watching. Support candidates who demonstrate these values in their daily lives, not just their campaign literature.
The conservative movement’s future depends on elevating leaders like Joe Steelman: people who embody our principles because they were raised with them, tested by them, and refined by them long before they ever asked for our votes.
Missouri remains one of conservatism’s strongest redoubts, but only if we support candidates who understand that political leadership is about character first and tactics second. Joe Steelman learned that lesson early and has lived it consistently ever since.
This article was written with the assistance of AI.
