Missouri governor candidates clash over abortion, minimum wage, guns in first debate
Republican Mike Kehoe and Democrat Crystal Quade clashed over abortion, the state’s minimum wage and local authority to regulate firearms in a debate Friday as the two candidates fight to become Missouri’s next governor.
At the same time, Kehoe, the lieutenant governor, and Quade, the state House minority leader, also sounded notes of agreement on tax credits, economic development and the child care crisis facing the state.
The hour-long debate, which also included two minor party candidates, marked the first time Kehoe and Quade offered their competing visions on the same stage ahead of the Nov. 5 election. The event, hosted by the Missouri Press Association in Springfield, comes as polling shows Kehoe with a comfortable lead.
Kehoe and Quade staked out starkly different positions on Amendment 3, the state constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would overturn the state’s abortion ban. Quade emphasized her support for abortion rights, which has been a central theme of her candidacy, and attacked Kehoe for not committing to supporting exceptions to the ban for victims of rape and incest.
Kehoe cast Amendment 3 as dangerous and has said he would be willing to consider exceptions, which he repeated on Friday.
“I have had that conversation about exceptions … but this law goes way too far, it’s very extreme,” Kehoe said.
Quade called the current ban one of the most extreme in the entire country, given that it only allows abortions in cases of medical emergencies. Amendment 3 would enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution, but would allow lawmakers to ban abortion after fetal viability as long as any restrictions include exceptions for the life and physical and mental health of the pregnant woman.
“While my opponent most recently said he is willing to sacrifice his own campaign to ensure Amendment 3 goes down,” Quade said, “I will be a governor that will listen to the will of voters and get politicians out of your doctors’ offices.”
Asked about another November ballot measure that would eventually raise Missouri’s minimum wage to $15 a year, Kehoe said he doesn’t support government-set minimum wages. Missouri’s current minimum wage is $12.30 an hour; the federal minimum wage, which would apply if the state’s minimum wage was ever repealed, is $7.25 an hour.
The economy – not government – dictate wages, Kehoe indicated.
“We need to make sure we let businesses set the wage, that’s the appropriate place for that to happen,” Kehoe said.
Quade said she supports the proposal to raise the minimum wage. She highlighted a portion of the measure that requires many employers with 15 or more workers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
“We have so many parents and so many people who are working minimum wage jobs, multiple minimum wage jobs, to get by because they can’t actually find good quality high-paying jobs in the state of Missouri,” Quade said.
Split on guns
On guns, Quade said she supports local governments having more authority to set regulations on firearms. Missouri law, in place for decades, largely prevents cities and counties from setting their own rules – instead giving the General Assembly near-total power over gun laws.
The lack of local control has frustrated Kansas City officials as the city has grappled with record numbers of homicides in recent years. Quade drew a contrast between the need for guns in rural areas of the state and the situation in large metro areas.
“Of course what’s going on in Webster County where I grew up is different than what’s going on in inner city St. Louis,” Quade said.
Kehoe responded that Second Amendment rights are one of the “most fundamental” rights that American citizens enjoy. He referred to his upbringing in St. Louis, where he said gang members didn’t go to stores to buy guns.
“Every time we put more restrictions on a citizen’s Second Amendment rights, we actually hurt the citizens who are trying to do this law-abiding and legally,” Kehoe said.
On tax credits and economic development, Kehoe and Quade sounded closer together. Both voiced support for tax credit programs but also for oversight to ensure they delivered return on investment for the state. And they emphasized the need for the governor to encourage the availability of jobs that don’t require a college degree.
They both embraced tax credits for child care and the necessity of increasing the availability of child care.
Quade said Missouri wasn’t meeting its basic promises to child care providers, referring to a backlog of payments to providers that has forced some to close. Kehoe spoke about the need to remove barriers to providers opening, while keeping facilities safe, and encouraging employers to open their own child care centers.
The two minor party candidates, Libertarian Bill Slantz and Paul Lehmann of the Green Party, also offered their own perspectives.
Lehmann emphasized the need for Missouri to adopt environmentally-friendly policies. In his closing remarks he also mentioned the war between Israel and Hamas inside Gaza.
“This war is beginning to spin out of control simply because we cannot force the Israelis to come to the table and do a ceasefire,” Lehmann said.
Slantz repeatedly voiced support for eliminating the state income tax and slashing the state budget by half.
“We need to focus on eliminating most of the burdensome taxes,” Slantz said.
