Barbara Phifer

Barbara Phifer is an American politician and former United Methodist pastor who was a Democratic member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 2021 to 2025, representing the 90th district. She was the Democratic candidate in the 2024 Missouri Secretary of State election.

Early life and education Born in Washington, D.C., Phifer is a graduate of Cornell College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and history in 1977. She then attended St. Paul School of Theology at Oklahoma City University, where she received a master's degree in theology in 1980.

Career Phfier has served as a United Methodist pastor for over 40 years. Her preaching career included a five-year stint in Montevideo, Uruguay under a dictatorship, an experience which she said gave her "an understanding of the dangers of authoritarianism, which is what I see in the [Republican] party right now".

Phifer had not thought about entering politics until after retiring from preaching, but decided to run for the seat vacated by Deb Lavender who was running for state Senate.

In March 2024, Phifer announced her candidacy for Missouri Secretary of State in front of the Jefferson City Missouri River Regional Library. She criticized book banning efforts in Missouri and expressed a commitment to neutral ballot language. She lost the race to Denny Hoskins.

Personal life Phifer lives in Kirkwood, Missouri with her husband Thomas, and has five children and seven grandchildren.