Christofanelli ran for the House in 2016 to succeed retiring Representative Mark Parkinson. At age 27, Christofanelli was the youngest member of the Missouri House of Representatives.[2][3]
In 2024, term-limited Christofanelli ran for Missouri State Senate from district 23, and lost the Republican primary to Adam Schnelting. Terri Violet, a former St. Peters alderwoman, won the race to fill Christofanelli's state house seat.[4]
Christofanelli discussed being gay during an interview in 2021,[9] when he was one of two openly gay Republicans serving in the Missouri House of Representatives.[10] Christofanelli was vocal about his opposition of a proposed bill in 2023 that would prohibit the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in public and charter schools.[11]
^"Issues". Phil Christofanelli for State Representative. Archived from the original on 2018-11-04. Government exists to protect the life, liberty, and property of its citizenry. That obligation extends to the unborn.
^"Issues". Phil Christofanelli for State Representative. Archived from the original on November 4, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2017. As a Member of the Missouri Legislature, Phil will fight to protect this right by opposing any attempts to restrict law-abiding citizens' access to firearms.