Michela Skelton lost last week's special election for the 50th House District seat by 298 votes.
The Boone County Democrat announced Thursday she'll challenge Republican Sara Walsh, who won last week's election, again next year.
"We may not have gotten the big win we wanted this time, but we won in the hearts and minds of so many people," Skelton said in an email. "We have proven that even in rural Missouri elections can be competitive when you fight for working families, for seniors, for children, and for the future of our communities."
Last week's special election decided Walsh, 38, will complete the final 16 months of former Rep. Caleb Jones' two-year term, after Jones resigned in January to become new Gov. Eric Greitens' deputy chief of staff.
Jones, R-Columbia and a California native, had won re-election to the seat, for his final two-year term, with no opposition last November.
Filing for next year's elections begins Feb. 27, and both women said they're running for the job.
"While we may have come up just short in a district that went unchallenged the last six years, I am inspired, deeply committed, and absolutely optimistic for the future of our district and our state," Skelton said Thursday. "Our fight for working class families is too important to abandon."