It’s highly likely that the Democrat on the ballot for Missouri governor in November will be from Springfield.
House Minority Leader Crystal Quade and businessman Mike Hamra — both Springfield residents — are the leading candidates in next week’s Democratic primary.
While Quade has more name recognition, Hamra has more money.
Anita Manion, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, said that while Quade has name recognition among those familiar with state politics, some voters may not know either of the candidates.
“It might be two new faces that you don't know. And so, I think for both of them in a statewide race, getting their message out, letting people know who they are, why they're running and what they will do in office is important,” Manion said.
According to campaign finance reports, Hamra has raised almost $2.9 million – including over $1 million in his own money.
Quade has raised over $1.1 million and in the latest report had more individual donors giving.
Quade believes experience in a super minority will aid her
Quade was first elected to the Missouri House in 2016. She was the only Democrat in the southern part of the state to win their race.
“I listened to folks, and I asked what they wanted. And we found common ground, even if we disagreed on some really big issues. And I've continued to win because of that,” Quade said.
Since her initial election, Quade has won three times and served as the House’s minority leader for the past six sessions.
She said being in the super minority in the House would serve as an advantage in the governor’s office because she’s learned to find common ground with Republicans.
“I've had several pieces of my legislation passed, they just didn't happen to have my name on it, because I have built relationships with folks on the other side,” Quade said. “And I would take those relationships that I've built into the governor's office and make sure that when we're talking about investments in Missouri, that those are things that we know citizens want and that representatives can get behind.”
Quade said while the veto power would be important as a Democratic governor working with a Republican-led legislature, she believes there is a lot they could accomplish together.
On a policy front, Quade would advocate for higher pay for workers in Missouri’s Children’s Division.
Last September, reporting by St. Louis Public Radio revealed thousands of child abuse and neglect cases were still open due to staffing shortages within the Children’s Division.
Quade said her background as a social worker has made protecting Missouri’s children a priority for her.
“It's no secret we've had so many reports showing not only are we losing children in the foster care system, we've had children unfortunately passed away due to lack of investigators being able to follow up and actually do the jobs that they deeply want to do, because we're so understaffed,” Quade said.
One issue that could end up facing the upcoming governorship is the fate of the Chiefs and Royals in Kansas City.
Jackson County voters in April rejected a sales tax measure that would have helped fund a new baseball stadium and improvements to Arrowhead Stadium.
In June, the Kansas Legislature passed an incentive bill designed to lure one or both teams across the state border.
Quade said while she’s not totally sold on possible state incentives to keep both teams in the state, she’s open to discussion.
“I'm not saying that I would vote yes, for that, or no, it would depend on what the parameters are,” Quade said.
Another tax issue Quade has weighed in on is sales taxes for groceries. Quade has sponsored legislation that would have eliminated both state and local taxes on groceries.
Quade said her bill also allowed the legislature to create a fund to help cities dependent on that money.
“I absolutely would not want to move forward unless we knew that the municipalities were going to be able to continue to function and come up with alternative ways of funding,” Quade said.
As far as what Quade would do to combat crime, she said that requires investment.
“It is a huge gamut from making sure that our law enforcement officers are adequately funded and trained, and there's money behind that, but also money around, you know, mental health care and addiction, and things that we know increase crime,” Quade said.
Another solution is looking at ways municipalities can govern their own communities when it comes to guns.
“I've had so many conversations with law enforcement officers saying that children can run around cities with guns is a problem,” Quade said. “And when they pull these teenagers over and they confiscate a weapon, they just turn around and give it right back to them. I have been asked so many times by law enforcement to help in that situation.”
Hamra sees his business acumen as a benefit
Hamra is the CEO of Hamra Enterprises, a franchisee of restaurants across the country including Wendy’s and Noodles and Company.
He says his business experience makes him a good choice for the governorship.
“I've been able to bring people together, establish a common vision, get people aligned on that, and then move things forward even where there might be disagreements. That's how I built the organization and I built it very effectively by working with people,” Hamra said.
Hamra has never held political office. He cites that as an advantage.
“We just can't keep putting the same people back in office that got us into this mess to try to get us out of this mess. I bring new ideas and fresh ideas about how we're going to take things on,” Hamra said.
Hamra has released a policy plan that includes proposals for the economy, education, health care and state workers.
One of his ideas concerning the state workforce would provide financial incentives for workers who exceed their targets.
In order to recruit more state workers, Hamra said he intends to make it attractive to work for Missouri.
“I will impact those different organizations throughout the state by creating environments that people want to work in, and also creating opportunities for people to grow in their careers, but also provide the services that people expect in the state of Missouri,” Hamra said.
He also supports greater pay for workers within the Children’s Division.
“It's going to have to start with, you know, base salaries and compensation and making sure people are getting the benefits. They need those table stakes,” Hamra said.
Another part of his economic plan is to provide incentives for both new and existing business owners.
“There is nothing more effective that we can take on than supporting and sustaining businesses as well as helping people start businesses in the state of Missouri as well as making sure people that want good qualified and high-skilled jobs will get those jobs,” Hamra said.
On what he would do about the Royals and Chiefs possibly moving to Kansas, Hamra said there is clearly an economic upside to having both teams in Missouri.
“I would do everything I can to make sure they stay here as long as it's in the benefit and support of the people in the state of Missouri,” Hamra said.
However, Hamra does not want to simply give a blank check to the owners.
“At the end of the day, it's going to come down to sitting down and making sure that we're not giving out millions of dollars just to help billionaires make more money,” Hamra said.
This past session, the Missouri legislature passed a massive education bill that contained an expansion of the state’s existing Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Account program.
The account allows families to get funding to send their children to the school of their choice, including private schools.
The account is funded by private donors, who then receive tax credits from the state.
The bill also includes raises for teachers.
Hamra said if he were governor he would not have signed the bill.
“Giving teachers an increase in their salary, but at the same time, you know, peeling away funds that are going to go to public schools out to vouchers so that people can send their kids to private schools. That doesn't work,” Hamra said.
Abortion vote could help Democrats in November
Whoever wins the Democratic primary will be the underdog in November since the state leans heavily Republican.
Missouri has not elected a Democratic governor since 2012. Currently all statewide office holders in the state are Republicans.
However, Quade believes Missourians are ready to elect a Democrat back into the governor’s office.
“What I have found in my time, not only representing southwest Missouri and the legislature, but traveling the state is, folks are frustrated, they're frustrated by a leadership vacuum that is happening in Jefferson City,” Quade said.
One of the reasons Missouri Democrats feel they have momentum is a proposed constitutional amendment that would end the state’s abortion ban, which does not allow exceptions in instances of rape or incest.
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the group behind the initiative, said it turned in more than 380,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office in May. The number needed to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot is roughly 171,000.
Though the amendment hasn’t been approved by the secretary of state’s office yet, the issue is likely to appear on the November ballot.
Both Quade and Hamra support the amendment and believe it will pass.
“They don't want politicians in their doctor's offices making those decisions for them or their families. I'm very confident that the will of the people will prevail in the situation in November,” Hamra said.
The primary is Tuesday.
