Springfield businessman Mike Hamra has never run for office before, but the CEO of a company that franchises restaurants says his private sector experience makes him a compelling choice for Missouri governor.
“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,” Hamra said during an interview on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air. “And as governor, I'll bring that same approach to running the state of Missouri by working with people even where there might be disagreements and working with people irrespective of partisan affiliation, as long as it's in the best interest of the state of Missouri.”
Hamra is facing off against House Minority Leader Crystal Quade in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. He’s spent several million dollars of his own money to fund television ads showcasing his biography and his plans as governor.
One of his focuses is improving the functionality of state governmental departments, which have faced immense staffing challenges since the COVID-19 pandemic. The St. Louis office of the Missouri Children’s Division, for instance, was so understaffed in 2022 and 2023 that it couldn’t effectively use a tool aimed at steering parents to drug rehabilitation programs while their kids stayed with relatives.
Both Quade and Hamra are in favor of boosting pay for Children’s Division employees. The starting salary for investigators looking into child abuse and neglect is around $44,000, which is widely seen as way too low.
“The other piece of that is making sure people are held accountable to doing the job they're supposed to do,” Hamra said. “We can't mess around with children's lives, and we can't mess around with their health care. We've got to be sure that as a state, we're taking care of children in our state and this is a safe place to live and families feel good about that.”
He is against a recently passed education bill that included a boost in teacher pay as well as an expansion of a tax credit program for scholarships that could go toward public schools.
“Giving teachers an increase in their salary, but at the same time peeling away funds that are going to go to public schools to vouchers so that people can send their kids to private schools? That doesn't work,” Hamra said. “We've got to be able to focus on supporting our public school system.”
Backing abortion rights
Like Quade, Hamra is supportive of abortion rights and is confident that a proposed constitutional amendment legalizing the procedure up to fetal viability will pass.
While some Republican lawmakers have said they will likely try to put something on a future statewide ballot to repeal or replace the measure, Hamra said he is confident he can adequately fight against any such effort.
“There's no question that there will be a fight on our hands,” Hamra said. “That's why it's so important to have a Democratic governor going forward so they can make sure that right is protected over the long term for women in the state of Missouri.”
Another major issue Hamra may encounter if he’s elected governor is whether to provide state incentives to the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to stay in Missouri.
Kansas lawmakers recently passed an incentive plan aimed at luring both teams over the border. GOP and Democratic gubernatorial candidates have split over the issue. Quade and Republican Mike Kehoe said that the state needs to be at the table to try to keep the teams, while GOP contenders Jay Ashcroft and Bill Eigel are opposed to spending any state funds to prevent them from moving.
“There's clearly an economic upside to having the Chiefs and the Royals and the Cardinals all stay here in the state of Missouri,” Hamra said. “I'm a huge fan of all three of those teams. And as governor, 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.”
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr and the production intern is Roshae Hemmings.
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