Crystal Quade wins Democratic primary for Missouri governor, defeating Mike Hamra
Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade won the Democratic primary for governor on Tuesday after centering her campaign on her legislative career, tough upbringing and strong advocacy for abortion rights, gun reform and child care aid.
Quade has served as one of the most prominent Democrats in the General Assembly since first being elected in 2016. She would become the first woman to hold the governor’s office in state history but faces an uphill battle in November as Democrats have struggled to win statewide elections in recent years.
The Associated Press called the race for Quade at 9:41 p.m. She received 50.4% of the vote, defeating her main rival Mike Hamra, a businessman from Springfield, who received 31.6% The three other candidates received the remaining 18.1% of the vote.
Quade will face Republican Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe in the November general election. Kehoe defeated his main GOP rivals, Sen. Bill Eigel and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, to secure the Republican nomination late Tuesday night.
Quade, from Springfield, said in a statement that she looked forward to continue earning support by “spreading our message in every corner of our state.”
“Missourians deserve a governor who will fight for working families, a leader who will restore our rights, not strip us of them,” she said. “Missourians are sick of the extremism, sick of the government overreach of their rights.”
After launching her campaign last summer, the Springfield Democrat quickly shored up support from most major Democratic-leaning groups and politicians in Jefferson City. She built her campaign on the idea that the state Republican Party has grown increasingly extreme and divisive.
“We need an adult in the room,” she told The Star’s editorial board.
She also pointed to her tough upbringing in which her family struggled financially and relied on food stamps, saying that she would “fight for families like the one I grew up in.” A social worker by trade, Quade has said she was the first person in her family to graduate from high school.
Abortion on the ballot
But one of the key focuses of her campaign centered on expanding access to abortion, which is banned in nearly all circumstances under a 2019 law that took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“Crystal is leading our most important fights to restore our abortion rights,” her campaign website said. She also filed a measure that would have struck down the ban.
That messaging could be crucial if Democrats have any shot at taking the governor’s office this year. Missouri voters are likely to vote on a ballot measure in November that would overturn the abortion ban — which could drive voters to the ballot box.
Polling released in March showed that a plurality of 44% of Missourians supported the effort to overturn the abortion ban while 37% were not in favor. The remaining 19% said they were not sure, a percentage of voters that abortion rights supporters will have to tap into.
Jason Kander, a Democratic former secretary of state, said that the abortion rights measure would be helpful for Democrats, who have frequently railed against the state’s ban.
“It frames the debate,” he said. “Because if it’s on people’s minds in terms of how they’re voting or why they’re voting, then it’s going to be on their minds as far as who they’re voting for.”
Of the five Democratic candidates, Quade and Hamra had the most resources and were the presumptive front-runners in the race. Very little separated them on issues, but Quade was able to court voters by largely pointing to her legislative record.
Hamra, a wealthy businessman whose company operates fast food restaurants, had a significant financial advantage over Quade with more than $3.1 million between his campaign and political action committee. Quade had roughly $1.25 million between her campaign and PAC.
But Hamra’s finances were not enough to get his name out to voters. He was also dogged by residency concerns and criticism by some legislators for challenging Quade.
“Crystal’s been seen as somebody who’s been in the trenches, doing the hard work of moving Democrats forward,” said Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Kansas City Democrat running for state Senate. “We’ve been incredibly successful under her leadership.”
Quade will now look to the general election in which she faces the tough battle of convincing voters to pick a Democrat in a state that has grown staunchly Republican over the past decade.
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.
Barring a major unforced error, any of the three Republican candidates is likely to beat the Democratic nominee, said Jean Evans, a former executive director of the Missouri Republican Party.
“This is not the year that the Democrats, no matter who the candidate is, are going to turn it around,” she said.
But Kander said that Quade offered an opportunity for Democrats as the party attempts to become more influential in the state. Her path to victory is two-pronged and includes mobilizing Democrats while also campaigning to swing voters in the state, he said.
“The misconception often is that those two things require two different messages,”Kander said. “I don’t believe they do and I believe that, you know, what we have to say and what we stand for actually is quite persuasive. It’s a matter of making sure to bring that message to voters outside the urban centers.”
The presidential election in which Republican former President Donald Trump is likely to face off against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has also created momentum that could transfer to the race, he said.
One of the groups that have coalesced around Quade include the state’s labor unions and the November election will present a major test of their influence in statewide politics. While organized labor has largely backed Democrats in the state, Republicans have recently made overtures to workers.
Despite the energy surrounding abortion and national politics, Republicans appear confident that they can hold onto the governor’s office this year — particularly in a state that Trump won overwhelmingly in 2016 and 2020.
“Missouri’s been trending more Republican,” said James Harris, a Jefferson City-based GOP consultant. “President Trump I think this year will win closer to his 2016 margin of 20 points. And I think whoever your nominee is here, your Republican donor community will coalesce behind. Some candidate might be more easier than others.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 9:50 PM.
