Four Missouri gubernatorial candidates vie for GOP nomination. Here are their goals

With less than eight months until the August primary election, competition is heating up among the Republican gubernatorial candidates vying for their party’s nomination.

So far, four Republican candidates have emerged seeking the office of governor in 2024 — Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, state Sen. Bill Eigel and military veteran Chris Wright.

The winner of the August primary will face the Democratic candidate, which could be Missouri House Minority Speaker Rep. Crystal Quade, Springfield businessman Mike Hamra, Kansas City pastor Eric Morrison, or Breckenridge Hills Councilwoman Sheryl Gladney.

Also running in the race as an Independent is Springfield native Larry Flenoid. Both Flenoid and Gladney filed limited activity campaign finance reports with the Missouri Ethics Commission in October, meaning their campaign donations and spending totaled less than $500.

Many of the Republican candidates share common goals, such as protecting the right to life by opposing abortion, fostering economic growth, reducing crime and improving education. However, there is some disagreement as to how to accomplish those priorities.

Mike Kehoe plans to bolster agriculture, economic development

Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe has experienced many walks of life, from his childhood in North St. Louis City to his time as a business owner of auto dealerships, an emergency vehicle manufacturing facility and a cattle farm, to his experience as a state Senator and lieutenant governor.

Kehoe was first elected to the Missouri Senate in 2010, serving in that chamber until Gov. Mike Parson appointed him lieutenant governor in 2018. Parson, who was elected lieutenant governor in 2016, became governor after former Gov. Eric Greitens resigned amid scandals. Kehoe won reelection in 2020.

Throughout that time, he has learned the importance of cultivating and maintaining relationships with the people he has known along the way. He stresses the importance of building relationships, especially with people who may not share the same viewpoints, in pursuit of the common goal of creating a better future for Missourians.

“The legislature is full of a lot of people who, no matter if they're a Democrat or Republican, have different ideas and opinions on things that might be proposed,” Kehoe said. “You need to be able to build relationships with people that can actually bring folks together and get something done.”

From humble beginnings as the youngest of six children raised by a single mother, Kehoe learned the value of hard work at a young age. His mom worked three jobs to support her children, and Kehoe and his siblings also went to work when they were old enough to have jobs.

Along the way, Kehoe recalls the help that he received from people as a result of the relationships that he has fostered.

“Building relationships can come back and help you two or three, or 22 or 33 years later, when you least expect it and you need help in something,” Kehoe said. “Having those deep levels of relationships and the ability to have trust and friendships to work with folks is so darn important, and it's really what's gotten me to the point where I'm at.”

Having experience in the automotive and manufacturing industries taught him how to effectively run a business, while being a first-generation cattle farmer instilled in him a deep appreciation for agriculture and the people who have spent their lives working in that industry.

“Being a first generation farmer gives me a unique look at some of the pieces of who Missouri is and where the salt of the earth people are,” Kehoe said. “They’re family, Christian folks that appreciate hard work, and I believe that I can fit the bill to satisfy where they want to be going forward.”

Kehoe feels that his upbringing and his business experience make him the best choice to lead Missouri as the state’s 58th governor. In Kehoe’s opinion, less government is better, but as governor, he would work to foster an economic environment in which Missourians can flourish.

“I think the number one thing we can do is keep the government out of people's way because I truly believe Missourians are pretty smart,” Kehoe said. “We don't need the government telling them what to do at every corner, but you have to kind of create that framework that allows our economy to grow and thrive.”

If elected, Kehoe says his focus on day one, as soon as he takes his hand off the Bible he’d be sworn in on, would be combating crime, especially in urban areas like the impoverished part of North St. Louis City where he grew up.

“Getting crime under control, whether that's backing the right prosecutors, working with police, whatever those combinations take, that will be the day one effort immediately,” Kehoe said.

Following that, Kehoe would turn his attention to improving education in the state, ensuring that Missourians have access to educational opportunities that fit their desired career path. Kehoe also wants to focus on fostering agricultural growth in the state.

“Missouri is number two in family owned farms, with 95,000 farms. It's about a $93 billion impact on our state's economy,” Kehoe said. “Supporting our agricultural community and providing the footprint to grow and add value to the existing agricultural products we harvest and produce is very important to me.”

Looking toward the 2024 election, abortion is sure to take center stage in many electoral campaigns. The gubernatorial race is no different, with political action committees on both sides of the issue throwing support behind sympathetic candidates.

Multiple ballot initiatives have been filed to restore abortion rights in Missouri, with hopes of appearing on the 2024 ballot. For Kehoe, he hopes that the state will continue protecting the lives of unborn children.

“I think the conversation will continue to lean towards Missouri being aggressively a very pro-life state with pro-life options,” Kehoe said. “I believe that you'll continue to continue to see us protect that very innocent life and the unborn and I don't see us going backwards on that.”

Kehoe has led the pack in fundraising among all gubernatorial candidates. Between his candidate campaign committee, Citizens to Elect Mike Kehoe, and his associated political action committee, American Dream PAC, Kehoe reported a total of about $4.99 million at the end of the third quarter.

His campaign has been also picking up steam in regards to the endorsements he has received, with 18 organizations pledging their public support so far.

“I am grateful for the efforts of many Missourians who have agreed with the direction we want to go and have been willing to put their names behind us,” Kehoe said.

He is endorsed by Missouri Dairy, Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri Agribusiness Association, Missouri Corn Growers Association, Missouri Association of Automobile Dealers, Missouri Forest Products Association, Missouri Asphalt Pavement Association, Associated General Contractors of Missouri, SITE Improvement Association, Missouri Limestone Producers Association, American Council of Engineering Companies of Missouri, Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters, and the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police, Heavy Constructors of Greater Kansas City, Flagship Council Political Action Committee, and the Missouri State Troopers Association.

More: Mike Hamra to run for governor, challenging Crystal Quade in the Democratic primary

Jay Ashcroft wants to increase opportunities for Missourians

When Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft was in his late teenage years, he said he had no intention of going into politics. Ashcroft’s father, of course, was former Gov. John Ashcroft, who was elected in 1984 and served two terms, later serving as a U.S. Senator and U.S. Attorney General from 2001-2005.

Ashcroft spent his young adult years learning engineering, later working as a professor in that field before earning his law degree in 2008. But along the way, after he became a father, he felt the need to get involved in the process of shaping the state into a place where his children could grow and thrive.

“I said at 17 years old, I will never go into politics, because it's such a dirty business,” Ashcroft said. “But I just had to, because I've got kids. I've got to make sure that my kids and everybody else's kids have the opportunity to be the best they can be. We can't leave it to the insiders. We know where that leads.”

Given his background in engineering, rather than politics, he feels he is uniquely positioned to solve the problems plaguing the state. Ashcroft has only held the public office of Missouri Secretary of State, which he was elected to in 2016, although he ran unsuccessfully for a state Senate seat in 2014.

“I sometimes say the problem with politicians is they like to fix the blame. Engineers fix the problem,” Ashcroft said. “We don't need politicians that are looking to the next election. We need public servants that are looking for the next generation.”

If elected, Ashcroft also has plans to target crime in urban areas, while hoping to improve education as well. He hopes that under his leadership, Missourians would be called to be their “best and brightest.”

“Missouri is never going to be the state that it can be when St. Louis and Kansas City are being dragged down by a lack of educational opportunities and crime,” Ashcroft said. “When they do better, the state does better. When they don't do better, they drag down the state.”

As a parent of four himself, education is extremely important to Ashcroft. He has seen firsthand what works for his children, and it differs from child to child. Under his administration, he hopes to open up opportunities for children to attend the school that will be best for their individualized needs.

“I want every parent in this state to have the opportunity to make sure that their child can be going to an institution or has the opportunity to go to an institution where they will truly have the opportunity for that challenging education,” Ashcroft said.

During his time as Secretary of State, Ashcroft has worked with the legislature to pass bills aimed at easing notary requirements to meet the social distancing constraints of the pandemic. He sees this as one of many examples when he rose to the occasion to solve a need facing Missourians during his time in office.

“I saw a void, and I said, ‘The people don't pay me to twiddle my thumbs. They pay me to get stuff done,’” Ashcroft said. “When I saw a void, I entered it. I'll do the same thing as governor.”

Another issue important to Ashcroft is ensuring Missouri farmland stays in American hands, echoing many recent pushes by legislators to restrict foreign farmland ownership. During his initial campaign and in each of his seven years in office, Ashcroft has dutifully visited each of Missouri’s 114 counties, listening to what Missourians from all walks of life want from their elected officials.

“It's not really for political purposes. It helps me to do a better job as a statewide official,” Ashcroft said. “I don't understand how individuals can think they, in and of themselves, know everything about the state, and don't need to get out and meet the people where they live, to understand the circumstances they're going through, how decisions that are being made in Jefferson City will affect them or are affecting them.”

In his bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, Ashcroft has received the coveted single endorsement of Missouri Right to Life, an anti-abortion advocacy group. Although no specifics can yet be revealed, Ashcroft teased the fact that there are more endorsements to come as the election nears.

“It doesn't make sense to announce endorsements when people aren't paying attention,” Ashcroft said. “Everyday Missourians aren't paying attention right now, for the most part to campaigns, because they're busy working one or multiple jobs … They're more focused on trying to live their life and, frankly, terrible economic conditions.”

However, the single endorsement from Missouri Right to Life is reflective of Ashcroft’s staunch pro-life beliefs. This year, he has also been embroiled in multiple legal challenges by groups who were unsatisfied with his ballot summary statements for initiative petitions looking to enshrine abortion into the state constitution.

Although not as large as Kehoe’s campaign war chest, Ashcroft has received a sizable sum of donations. Combining funds given to Ashcroft’s candidate committee, Ashcroft for Missouri, and his associated political action committee, Committee for Liberty, the gubernatorial candidate has about $2.25 million on hand at the end of the third quarter.

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Bill Eigel wants to drain the Jefferson City swamp

State Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Springs, sees an opportunity for Missouri to bolster its economy, without raising taxes or increasing spending. In fact, he feels that these are two of the issues currently plaguing the state.

“If you look at the Show-Me State and how we've performed economically over the past few years, we've been stagnating,” Eigel said. “Missouri is not growing. Our population is the exact same as it was almost a generation ago. That's causing crises of employment, that's causing crises of opportunity in our state that, quite frankly, you don't have in other big red states.”

Eigel also believes in a more limited government, and has consistently fought to lower taxes and cut spending. In fact, he has once again filed legislation for the 2024 legislative session that would eliminate personal property taxes, if passed.

“Government is bigger than it's ever been before in Missouri, and that's what's causing the stagnation,” Eigel said. “We've more than doubled the state budget in the past seven years while I've been in Jefferson City, and that has been in spite of my efforts to push back and stop that growth of government.”

Eigel is a father of two and military veteran, who dedicated eight years of his life in service to the United State Air Force as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer. Following his exit from service, he and his wife moved to St. Charles County, where Eigel purchased St. Louis Skylights, a small residential and commercial remodeling company.

The firm was rebranded as National Skylight Solutions in 2010, with locations in Missouri and Illinois that provide service across the country. His experience operating the business has given him insight into managing money, something he feels is being improperly handled by state elected officials.

“The first step I think a governor can take is to go into Jefferson City and go through that budget and really pull out the efficiencies and reduce the size of government,” Eigel said. “When we do that, we're going to be able to get rid of personal property tax, so we don't have to punish people for the crime of owning a car.”

Eigel has been a vocal supporter of prohibiting foreign farmland ownership and has also sponsored legislation that, if passed, would force foreign countries to divest their existing Missouri properties.

“One of the things I'm working on is protecting our farmland in this state from foreign entities that want to come in and take control of our food supply by owning farmland and controlling the population,” Eigel said.

Eigel has cultivated a reputation as a conservative firebrand, especially after a video of him burning boxes with a flamethrower at a charity event went viral a few months ago. The boxes represented liberal policies he opposes, but it was quickly misconstrued that he was burning books. His video received national attention, even earning a news article in Paris, France.

However, per an earlier conversation about bans on books with explicit content, Eigel said that, if it would keep vulgar pornographic material out of the hands of children, he would burn any such content in a bonfire on the lawn of the governor’s mansion.

“I'm willing to do it,” Eigel said. “I'm willing to bulldoze or launch it into space on a rocket ship, that kind of material, before I let it get into the hands of first and second graders. I stand by that.”

Eigel has strongly held pro-life beliefs when it comes to the issue of abortion. He feels that the current initiative petitions circulating that seek to restore abortion rights in the state are unconstitutional, on grounds that they violate the single-subject rule that all ballot initiatives are subject to.

“Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft should reject every one of those items from the ballot before they ever get to the voters in this state,” Eigel said.

Eigel earned a recent endorsement from Make Liberty Win PAC, which sends students to meet with voters and advocate for the endorsed candidates. The groups Win at the Door program previously backed Senators Curtis Trent, Mike Moon, Jill Carter, and Ben Brown in their successful campaigns. He is also endorsed by St. Charles County Republican Elected Officials.

“If you look at the strength of our campaign, we have been generating a ton of momentum amongst grassroots here in the state of Missouri,” Eigel said. “Now, we have a national entity coming in and confirming that this is the reformer in the race. This is the guy that's going to change the status quo.”

His candidate committee, Eigel for Missouri, and his political action committee, Bill PAC, raised a total of about $1.42 million at the end of the third quarter. His fundraising efforts, however, came under scrutiny after a report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch revealed he had solicited donors through use of President Trump’s name.

Eigel’s PAC treasurer later received a cease and desist letter from Trump’s campaign, ordering him and his associated fundraising vendor Targeted Victory to stop any use of Trump’s name, image and likeness.

“Neither Bill Eigel or his BILL PAC have anything to do with President Trump or his campaign. He knows it and Targeted Victory knows it. If you do not cease and desist this unauthorized use immediately, President Trump and his campaign will make sure everyone knows it,” wrote David A. Warrington, legal counsel for Donald J. Trump for President 2024, in a letter.

Chris Wright seeks lower utility rates, higher pay for teachers, first responders

Chris Wright, a combat veteran of the Missouri Army National Guard with 23 years of service, entered the race after feeling a calling to get involved in improving the state. Initially, he fought that calling, but he soon found himself inspired to enter the race.

“I realized that Jefferson City was no different than D.C. with all the insiders and elected officials who were out for themselves and not for the people.” Wright said. “Now it's not everybody, but there were a lot of people that were not representing the people properly in my opinion.”

He has several ideas about things he would like to see improved in the state. Among those, he wants to see first responders get a pay increase for the life-saving work that they do. Wright himself served as a police officer for five years.

“Our first responders are grossly underpaid,” Wright said. “They need more training and they need better equipment, plain and simple. They have a daunting task of taking care of the public, and we need to do better for our first responders.”

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Additionally, Wright is appalled by what he said are skyrocketing utility rates in Missouri. He feels that the Public Service Commission Board acts as a “rubber stamp” when utility companies propose a rate increase, rather than considering the impact of higher prices on consumers.

“We have single families. We have elderly people. We have single income homes, who are afraid to turn their air conditioner on during the summer when it's 100 degrees,” Wright said. “They shouldn't be sweltering in their house because they're so worried about how bad their electric bill is going to be.”

Wright also wants to crack down on human trafficking in Missouri. The state currently ranks fourth on the list of the states with the highest human trafficking rates in the nation, with 4.30 per 100,000 citizens.

“I'm starting to see some legislators put in for allocations of money to help really start putting an effort into combating human trafficking,” Wright said. “That makes me happy but we're gonna go full bore ahead.”

He also wants to see the St. Louis City Police Force brought under state control, similar to the supervision of the Kansas City Police. He feels that the defund the police movement has stopped much-needed pay raises and contributed to the short staffing situation.

Wright also thinks that Missouri’s budget is bloated, and, as governor, he would trim the fat through the line item veto rights reserved for the state’s top executive. Wright is also a small business owner, which taught him financial management skills.

“We have a $51 billion budget but end of the year changes pushed that close to $52 billion. That's a record-setting budget and at the end of the day, that is too much,” Wright said. “We all want tax breaks. We want to get rid of personal property taxes, and things like that. But the fact of the matter is, we have to stop spending so much money.”

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Four candidates seek GOP nomination in 2024 Missouri governor’s race