Ruth Harriett Woods was an American politician and activist, two-time Democratic nominee for the United States Senate from Missouri, and the 42nd lieutenant governor of Missouri. She was the first woman elected to statewide office when she was elected Missouri's first, and so far only, woman lieutenant governor.

Christopher Samuel Bond is an American attorney, politician and former United States Senator from Missouri and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, he defeated Democrat Harriett Woods by a margin of 53–47%. He was re-elected in 1992, 1998, and 2004. On January 8, 2009, he announced that he would not seek re-election to a fifth term in 2010, and was succeeded by fellow Republican Roy Blunt on January 3, 2011. Following his retirement from the Senate, Bond became a partner at Thompson Coburn.