A second Democrat from Springfield enters the 2024 race to be next governor of Missouri

Springfield businessman Mike Hamra launched a campaign for governor on Thursday, promising to get Missouri “back on track” and becoming the second Democrat to enter the 2024 race.

The 55-year-old will compete for Democratic supporters with House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a fellow Springfield resident who jumped into the race in July.

In addition to Quade, the race for governor in Missouri already features three of the state’s top Republicans Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and state Sen. Bill Eigel.

“I’m running for governor because I believe I’m the best candidate to put our state on a path towards greater opportunity and prosperity,” Hamra said in a phone interview. “Missouri is a good place, but it could be a much better place.”

Hamra is the CEO of Hamra Enterprises, a Springfield-based hospitality company that operates restaurants such as Wendy’s, Panera Bread and Noodles & Company locations.

In a phone interview, he touted his experience as the CEO of a family business. He said he has a love and passion for supporting people.

Asked about his campaign priorities, Hamra pointed to helping people find better job opportunities, particularly competitive wages and benefits. He also said the state needs to focus on schools, ensuring that Missouri kids receive a good education.

A press release announcing his campaign touted a need to make child care and health care more affordable. Hamra, in the release, also said he was in favor of “restoring the right for women to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions” — indicating that he would push against the state’s near-total ban on abortion.

Hamra, in the interview, declined to attack Quade, one of the most prominent Democrats in the General Assembly. During her time in office, she has been a strong advocate for abortion rights, gun reform and child care aid.

“At the end of the day, I do feel like I’m the best person for the job,” he said, when asked about Quade.

Both of the Springfield Democrats will face an uphill battle to take the governor’s office. Republicans hold every statewide office and a supermajority in both chambers of the General Assembly. Then-Auditor Nicole Galloway was the last Democrat to win a statewide office back in 2018.

Galloway, viewed at the time as a serious contender to take the office, lost the 2020 race for governor to incumbent Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, by more than 16 percentage points. Parson terms out of office in 2025.

Hamra also declined to take shots at his Republican opponents, saying he didn’t want to get involved in “ideological bickering.”

“We need to stop all the political bickering and the mudslinging and we need to work to support people in the state of Missouri,” he said.

Hamra has degrees from Ohio Wesleyan University, the University of Missouri School of Law and Kennesaw State University.

Before working in Missouri, Hamra lived in Washington, D.C., where he worked in the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Clinton Administration. He also served as chief of staff and legal advisor for the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, according to his Linkedin profile.

Hamra and his wife, Eileen, live in Springfield with their four children and two rescue dogs.