Chappell Roan’s uncle picked as Missouri House’s majority leader

The Republican uncle of pop star Chappell Roan has been tapped as the next majority leader of the Missouri state House, taking on the role as the GOP grapples with its worst election defeat in decades.

Missouri state Rep. Darin Chappell (R), a staunch conservative who has campaigned against abortion, gun control and critical race theory in schools, was selected Wednesday to lead the chamber’s Republican majority.

Chappell, who represents the state’s 137th House District, is the uncle of the Grammy-winning singer Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, whose stage name is Chappell Roan.

The two have notably different political views. Roan, who is openly gay and has been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights, previously ripped both major political parties during the 2024 presidential election, citing “ problems on both sides .” She later clarified that she would vote for former Vice President Kamala Harris over President Trump.

Her uncle, meanwhile, has supported numerous pieces of conservative legislation, including restrictions on abortion access. He previously co-sponsored legislation aimed at blocking public funding for abortion providers.

Chappell, a Navy veteran and former Missouri State University instructor, was first elected to the state House in 2022. He secured another term Tuesday with 70 percent of the vote, though his margin of victory narrowed by 15 percentage points compared with 2024.

His selection as majority leader comes after Democrats flipped 16 Missouri state House seats in Tuesday’s midterm elections, ending 14 years of Republican supermajorities in the chamber.

The losses marked the GOP’s worst showing in Missouri House elections since 1974, when Republicans lost 17 seats in the aftermath of former President Nixon’s resignation.

“We’re in a total reassessment,” Chappell told the Missouri Independent on Wednesday. “If we need to change course on specific issues, we will.”

Republicans will retain control of the chamber with 95 seats, their smallest majority since 2008, but will no longer have the two-thirds majority needed to override gubernatorial vetoes without Democratic support.

The results have prompted some Republicans to question whether the party’s legislative agenda contributed to its crushing midterm losses. Missouri voters rejected several GOP-backed proposals this year, including measures addressing income taxes and abortion restrictions.