Special election and tenure His stepfather, Louis Ford, resigned from office 9 months in advance in order to bypass term limits and allowed Walker to be elected in a
special election. At the
Democratic Party's nominating convention, Walker defeated state government employee Rodney Hubbard for the nomination. Ford drew a total of two other primary challengers, those being former St. Louis School Board member and perennial candidate Bill Haas, businessman and educator Paris Bouchard Relator.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch endorsed Relator, naming him the "strongest candidate". Hubbard won the general election with 89% of the vote. == Electoral history ==