Chappell Roan's Republican Uncle Is Now the Missouri House Majority Leader

This story originally appeared on Out.As the Republican Party faces the reality that it suffered historic losses in the midterm elections, the Missouri state House is set to name a new majority leader who is related to Chappell Roan.Roan's conservative uncle, Missouri state Rep. Darin Chappell, was selected Wednesday to lead the chamber’s Republican majority. Chappell is a GOP politician who campaigned against abortion access, gun control, and critical race theory in schools — all tried-and-true Republican talking points. The family members have polar opposite political views. Chappell is a staunch conservative who represents the state’s 137th House District, The Hill reports. And the Grammy-winning singer — whose real name is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz — is an openly queer woman and a vocal LGBTQ+ advocate. Roan, a Missouri native whose debut album is titled The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, has defended trans rights, supported Kamala Harris after being critical of both parties, and turned down an invitation to perform at the White House’s Pride celebration in protest of the Biden administration’s handling of the war in Gaza.Her uncle’s far-right views include supporting restricting access to abortion and previously cosponsoring legislation that would have blocked public funding for abortion providers. The Democrats may have elected a historic number of LGBTQ+ politicians across the country, and in Missouri alone flipped 16 state House seats. But Chappell, a Navy veteran, still secured 70 percent of his district's vote in the 2026 midterm election. He was first elected in 2022.The GOP suffered worse loses in the Missouri House than the party has face since the fallout of the Nixon administration, but still controls the chamber with 95 seats. However, the party lost its two-thirds majority needed to override the state’s gubernatorial vetoes without Democratic support.