 , Missouri Lt. Gov.  , Mike Kehoe , won the race to become the country’s 58th government on Tuesday, after a battle centered on his broad business knowledge and promises of solid conservative authority.
Kehoe, a 62-year-old former , Jefferson City  , car dealer, state lawmaker and present lieutenant governor, courted citizens partly through tamping down on the extreme language that has often defined , Missouri , politics. But the victory also serves as an affirmation of the , Republican Party’s iron grip on , Missouri , politics  , as , Democrats , have struggled to win statewide races in recent years.
Kehoe defeated Democratic House Minority Leader , Crystal Quade, who cast Kehoe’s opposition to abortion right and another liberal policies as severe. Quade, who would have been the second woman to hold the office of , Missouri , government if elected, built her campaign on securing abortion rights, gun reform and child care assistance.
In a discussion in late September, Kehoe said,” If businesses and people want to do good, they should be allowed to do so, and I think government should play a role in that — never in creating jobs, but in creating an atmosphere where good work can grow and prosper.” ” That’s the administration I want to bring to Missourians”.
The Associated Press , called the competition for Kehoe at , 8: 45 p. m.  , At that time, he had 53.6 % of the vote, with 141 of 3572 districts reporting, according to the , Missouri , Secretary of State’s Office.
Quade, who received 44.4 % of the vote, was expected to handle supporters at a campaign function in , Springfield , Tuesday night.
” Persons are tired of the status quo, they are frustrated of , Missouri , being the victim for the entire country and getting on the news for all the crazy things happening”, Quade told a meeting of , Jackson County , Democrats on Friday.
They are sick of politicians telling them what to do and rank base in everything that matters to them. They’re over it”.
Kehoe’s success means , Republicans , will retain control of the governor’s mansion for another four decades after , Republican Gov.  , Mike Parson , words out of office in January. Many of the same guidelines that were implemented under Parson, who appointed Kehoe as colonel government in 2018, are likely to be continued by a Kehoe management. Kehoe will serve a full name in 2020.
House Majority Leader , Jonathan Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican, said Kehoe may show an “exceptional head”. He pointed to Kehoe’s business practice as , Kansas City  , prepares to host , World Cup , matches in 2026.
” I think the one thing that we have n’t talked that much about is his experience as the ultimate salesperson”, said Patterson, who is poised to become the next House speaker. ” He’s going to go to other countries and sell , Missouri, and to do that in the run up to the World Cup, I think it could be a recipe for something very special for , Kansas City  , and Missouri”.
In the lead-up to , Election Day, Kehoe and Quade , sparred over a host of problems, including the , country’s minimum wage,  , the potential for regional governments to control weapon and whether , Kansas City  , if retain , control of its police force.
But perhaps the most potent issue of the race focused on , Missouri’s near-total abortion ban. The Republican-controlled , General Assembly , approved the ban with Parson’s signature in 2019 but it took effect in 2022 after the , U. S. Supreme Court , overturned Roe v. Wade.
Kehoe and Quade had radically different viewpoints on abortion. Kehoe is against it, but Quade supports the right to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy. As Missourians gathered to vote on Amendment 3, a constitutional amendment to overturn the ban, Quade largely capitalized on her campaign’s focus on expanding access to reproductive rights.
Quade connected the abortion debate to more general concerns about women’s rights and personal freedom throughout the campaign. Quade and other , Democrats , also emphasized the idea that if voters supported abortion rights, they also needed to elect a governor who supported Amendment 3.
” I do feel if we vote yes on Amendment 3, and we do not elect , Crystal Quade , as our governor, I do think we’ll be back here in two years defending the rights that we took back in November for reproductive services”, Rep.  , Deb Lavender, a , Manchester , Democrat, said last month.
Missouri , Republicans , have floated the idea of putting a constitutional amendment on the 2026 ballot to weaken Amendment 3 if it passed. Kehoe, in a recent radio interview, promised to work with lawmakers to “protect innocent life” if the amendment passed.
” I will do everything I can to work with legislators and other people in the state to find ways to make sure we continue to do that in some way or another,” Kehoe said.
A network of statewide organizations that supported the former state senator and gave money to his campaign were key factors in Kehoe’s victory. He scored endorsements from a host of public safety organizations, agricultural groups and business associations.
That network of resources also propelled Kehoe’s win in the August Republican primary where he defeated two major opponents in Sen.  , Bill Eigel , and Secretary of State , Jay Ashcroft. Kehoe, who vowed to put pragmatism before bombast, stood out in stark contrast to both candidates who attempted to run his way.
” He’s not a bomb thrower”, said , Jean Evans, a former executive director of the , Missouri Republican Party. ” He’s a uniter. He is aware of what people want.
The lieutenant governor’s campaign also emphasized the lessons he learned from his humble beginnings. Born and raised in , North St. Louis, Kehoe has said he never met his father and began working at age 15 washing cars at a , Ford , dealership and worked his way into sales management by his early 20s, and that his mother worked three jobs.
Future for Kansas City
A Kehoe administration comes at a crucial time for , Kansas City  , as the city grapples with a state-controlled police force, gun violence, anger over property tax assessments and questions over the future of the , Kansas City Chiefs , and Royals.
Kehoe and the Republican-controlled , General Assembly , are likely to stymie any renewed discussion of , Kansas City  , assuming control of its police force, one of the few state-controlled departments in the country.
A campaign spokesperson earlier this year said that the Republican governor-elect” supports the current governance model for the KCPD as it provides a system of checks and balances between the local leaders, the legislature, and the governor.” He was supported by a number of law enforcement organizations.
Kehoe has also pledged to put a crime plan into place once he is elected, but he has n’t provided any specifics. Since the Kansas City Police Department has more than 100 funded but unfilled officer positions, he has indicated that his plan will include attempts to recruit and retain more law enforcement officers.
One of the most pressing issues facing , Kansas City  , is Missouri’s push to keep the Chiefs and Royals.
The team’s leases at , Truman Sports Complex , expire in 2031. But after , Jackson County , voters in April rejected a sales tax that would have ensured both teams stayed in the county,  , Kansas , has mounted an aggressive effort to court the teams.
While , Missouri , leaders have promised to respond, no concrete plan has emerged. Kehoe has praised the organization’s efforts to keep the teams, but she has n’t provided specifics.
Many political observers have signaled that a Kehoe administration would be similar to Parson’s, pointing to their connections to rural , Missouri , and agricultural industries. However, Patterson also emphasized his background of growing up in , North St. Louis.
” In that respect, he’s different”, Patterson said. ” He’s just a great mix of both urban and rural, corporate and farmer. And that, I think, is what makes him special”.
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