Here is our wrap-up of Missouri state and local endorsements for the Nov. 5 election | Opinion
Here is a summary of our recommendations for candidates in the general election in Missouri. For more information about the Nov. 5 election, check out our Voter Guide, a collaboration between The Kansas City Star and the KC Media Collective. See all our published endorsements on our Elections Recommendations page.
Amendment 2, Sports gambling: Yes. We reach this recommendation reluctantly. Gambling can be a problem for some families, and the promise of extra money for education in the state is exaggerated. But Missourians already bet in other states. There is no legitimate moral case against gambling, since Missouri has a lottery and casinos now.
Amendment 3, Reproductive and abortion rights: Yes. We strongly recommend a yes vote on this amendment, which would embed a woman’s health autonomy in the Missouri Constitution. Women are not second-class citizens. They have the absolute right to make their own health decisions without interference from the state, despite what conservatives in the legislature believe.
Does Amendment 3 legalize all abortion? No. It allows regulation of the procedure after fetal viability, and permits other abortion rules under a “strict scrutiny” standard. That’s the right approach.
Pay no attention to the wildly misleading distortions from the anti-freedom crowd. Amendment 3 protects reproductive health for women, a worthwhile goal in the state.
Amendment 5, Casino gaming in the Ozarks: Yes. We think the estimates of jobs and revenue for the state from a casino in the Ozarks are exaggerated. But casinos are common in Kansas City and St. Louis – there are already 13 in Missouri.
Our neighbors to the southeast deserve the same opportunity to gamble, and Amendment 5 would give it to them.
Amendment 6, Court fees for sheriffs and prosecutors: No. This amendment would legalize a fee on citations to pay for the retirement of some sheriffs and prosecutors in the state.
There’s no reason ticket-payers, who are often poor, should pay for the retirement of sheriffs, who play no role in the administration of those citations. Sheriffs can pay more for their retirement plan, or the state can pay more into the fund.
Amendment 7, voting rights: No. There is no evidence that noncitizens are voting in Missouri, which state law already prohibits. Adding this kind of so-called “ballot candy” wastes voters’ time and energy. The amendment would also ban ranked choice voting, a special system that allows voters to indicate more than one preference in an election. We’re lukewarm to the idea, but the state has no business preventing local governments from using the tool if they want.
Proposition A, paid sick leave and higher minimum wage: Yes. We support a higher minimum wage in Missouri, from the current $12.30 an hour to $13.75 next year and $15 in 2026. Ignore the hand-wringing of businesses complaining about the cost: We heard the same scare tactics in 2018 when voters raised the minimum wage.
Today, the state’s unemployment rate is under 4%, below the national average.
Proposition A would also require paid sick leave for most private sector employees. That part is critical. Too often, workers must go without a day’s pay in order to see a doctor or care for a sick relative.
Jackson County Question 1: No. Regrettably, we can’t endorse this tax, which would add another burden to property owners, albeit small. However, like many of you, this editorial board is made up of members who have older family members to help support. Some of us might even vote for this tax, and we believe some of you can afford it. If you can, consider voting for it. But we can’t say yes to a property tax for all of Jackson County.
U.S. Senate: Lucas Kunce. Personal ambition seems less important for Lucas Kunce than a sincere desire for service. That’s refreshing.
He’s a veteran. He is deeply experienced. He’s smart. He’s trying to change a political system in which simple health care reforms are blocked by business interests and lobbies.
His opponent is incumbent Republican Josh Hawley, who has spent the last six years enriching himself and auditioning for a television pundit’s job, but little else. He raised his fist during the Jan. 6 insurrection, then skedaddled when things got out of hand. “Has there ever been such a high ratio of ambition to accomplishment?,” conservative columnist George Will once asked.
No. Hawley is a disaster in every way.
We endorse Democrat Kunce with enthusiasm and optimism. If you’re tired of being played and lied to, you and your neighbors can make a change.
Governor: Crystal Quade. Missourians need a governor who supports a woman’s right to choose. Quade is that candidate. Opponent Mike Kehoe isn’t.
But Quade’s support for a woman’s health care rights isn’t the only reason to cast a vote for her. She has strong legislative experience and is respected by many in the Republican Party.
“As a Democrat, I have built relationships with both factions of the Republican Party,” she told us.
Quade favors local control of Kansas City’s police department. She wants sensible gun laws. She opposes the death penalty.
Kehoe had, on occasion, shown signs of moderation. Regrettably, he abandoned that approach in this campaign.
Lieutenant governor: Richard Brown. “I’m just a guy from the neighborhood,” Brown, a Democrat, told us. He’s right on guns, on education, on neighborhoods. He’s earned our endorsement.
Opponent David Wasinger is the “Adios, amigos!” anti-immigrant guy on TV. He’s an embarrassment.
Attorney General: Elad Gross. This is likely the most important race Missourians will consider in 2024. The incumbent, Republican Andrew Bailey, shames his state and his office on an hourly basis – trying to keep innocent people in prison, filing meritless lawsuits, opposing free and open government, and on and on.
There is no more important task than ridding Missouri of this man.
Gross, a Democrat, is qualified. He would work hard to protect basic freedoms, including health care decisions. He promises to protect civil rights. He wants to fight for consumers. And on and on.
The choice is obvious. We urge a vote for Elad Gross.
Secretary of State: Barb Phifer. Phifer, from St. Louis, entered the race to protect Missourians’ right to vote. “This is one of those positions that does not make policy, so much as it administers the law,” she told us – accurately.
Denny Hoskins, the Republican opponent, thinks the 2020 election was stolen, and wants to return to paper ballots. He’s a member of the state Senate Freedom Caucus. Send him home.
Treasurer: Mark Osmack. Osmack is the choice over Republican incumbent Vivek Malek, who has made immigration a reform a centerpiece of his campaign, for reasons that remain unclear. Osmack says his focus “is only on Missouri.” As it should be. We recommend Osmack.
House District 21: Will Jobe. Jobe is The Star’s choice over Marjain Breitenbach. Jobe, a Democrat, supports improved school funding and teacher salaries, and opposes state support for private schools and initiative petition reform that would make it harder to change the state constitution.
Republican Breitenbach is an anti-masker who once blamed immigrants for COVID-19.
House District 30: Jon Patterson. Patterson, a Republican, is in line to become the next speaker of the Missouri House. That would be a real plus for the Kansas City region.
Patterson is also a moderate on some issues, which would be an important change in Jefferson City. We liked Democrat Kevin Grover’s answers to some of our concerns, but believe Patterson is much better positioned to help Kansas City.
Senate District 11: Robert Sauls. We recommend Sauls over Joe Nicola. Sauls is a moderate Democrat with legislative experience who is willing to work with Republicans. In a state Senate that often found itself last session at a stalemate thanks to the hard-right Missouri Freedom Caucus, Sauls’ collaborative approach to lawmaking is needed in Jefferson City
Jackson County Prosecutor: Melesa Johnson. We think Johnson’s experience, issue positions and life story make her the choice over Republican opponent Tracy Chappell.
“We can’t incarcerate everybody,” Johnson told us. “We can elect somebody that understands the need for prosecution for charging more cases, for more accountability, but is also going to make sure that we’re restoring our communities as well.”
That seems like the right approach. Johnson has seen violence firsthand. We’re confident she can build the relationships needed to reduce the plague of gunfire and death in the county.
Chappell is also impressive. Her tough-on-crime positions aren’t disqualifying. But Johnson’s fresh innovative approach to transformative justice is more closely aligned with a safer community.