Missouri GOP gubernatorial hopefuls debate

There wasn’t a lot of disagreement on the issues when the five Republicans running to be the next governor of Missouri faced off Tuesday night.

Each vowed to curtail the power of labor unions with a right-to-work law and oppose any efforts to expand Medicaid eligibility under Obamacare. Each talked of rolling back business regulations and cutting taxes.

The real differences emerged on what kind of candidate they believe Republicans should ultimately choose as their standard-bearer next year.

Missouri Sen. Bob Dixon, former Missouri House speaker Catherine Hanaway and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder each pointed to their accomplishments in elected office.

Businessman John Brunner and author Eric Greitens expounded on the virtues of having an outsider candidate with no electoral experience.

Kinder, who has served three terms as lieutenant governor and served more than a decade in the Missouri legislature before that, hammered home the idea that he has beaten Democrats in tough elections before while championing the conservative cause.

“Who has won elections when no one else has for our party?” he said. “Eleven candidates in 2008 and 2012, and I’m the only winner on the Republican ticket.”

Hanaway, Missouri’s first female House speaker and a former U.S. attorney, emphasized her experience as a prosecutor.

“This fight is a fight for our way of life,” she said.

Dixon, who has represented Springfield in the House and Senate, said he has “a record of legislative accomplishment fighting for the principles we care about.”

“The dome at our state Capitol is sort of like a fishbowl and a pressure cooker,” he said. “With me, I’ve been tested.”

Greitens repeatedly returned to his time serving in Iraq as a Navy SEAL. He said that Missouri government has been corrupted by “career politicians” and that Republicans need to choose someone different.

“If you think career politicians in Jefferson City have failed you, then you have a choice,” he said. “You can shut up and take it or you can do something about it.”

Brunner, former CEO of the hand sanitizer company Vi-Jon who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2012, said Missouri needs an “entrepreneur governor.”

“I’m not looking to jump-start a political career,” he said. “I just want to do the job.”

On the topic of how to fund Missouri’s crumbling transportation infrastructure, each candidate was either hesitant or outright opposed to increasing the gas tax, which is used to fund road and bridge repair. All said efficiencies should be found in the Department of Transportation, with only Hanaway suggesting the state look into public-private partnerships.

The 90-minute forum was sponsored by the Cole County Republican Central Committee and held at the Missouri Farm Bureau headquarters in Jefferson City. It featured only six questions, ranging from rural health care and broadband access to business recruitment.

This was the first time all five candidates shared the stage in the 2016 campaign. The contested GOP primary stands in contrast to the Democrats, who have coalesced around Attorney General Chris Koster.

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 8:56 PM with the headline "Missouri GOP gubernatorial hopefuls debate."