Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe has won the Republican nomination for Missouri governor.
Kehoe won the primary Tuesday with 39.4% of the vote. Coming in second was state Sen. Bill Eigel with 32.5%. The third major candidate in the race, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, received 23.2%.
“Fifteen months ago, people said we couldn’t win,” Kehoe said. “But we believed in our cause, but more importantly, you believed in us.”
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Early polling in the race had Kehoe behind Ashcroft. However, Kehoe’s support climbed throughout the campaign. He also led in fundraising, reporting $4.2 million in late July.
Ashcroft, who initially led the Republican race for governor, gave his concession speech in Springfield. He began by congratulating Kehoe.
“He ran a hard race. And he’s pulling in a strong victory. I wish him well,” Ashcroft said.
In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Eigel said he called Kehoe to congratulate him. He also thanked his supporters.
“There is clearly a movement in Missouri for bold, conservative action, and all of you are the reason. You made your voice heard. And our fight doesn’t end tonight,” Eigel said.
The win for Kehoe can be considered as a win for more moderate Republicans.
Of the top three candidates running, Kehoe is most like outgoing Gov. Mike Parson. He appointed Kehoe as lieutenant governor in 2018 and endorsed him in the race for governor.
Kehoe has spoken of building off the work already done by Parson’s administration, such as support for state employees. That includes the raises approved for them the past couple of legislative sessions.
Overall, it was a good night for Parson, as all three of his endorsed candidates — Kehoe, Treasurer Vivek Malek and Attorney General Andrew Bailey — all won their Republican primaries Tuesday.
Unlike Ashcroft and Eigel, Kehoe is open to discussion about whether Missouri should provide economic support to keep the Royals and Chiefs in Kansas City.
“It's not about giving subsidies to a sports team, in my opinion, it's about let's look at the economic impact that that organization is making to our community and to our state. And then what do people together want to do to make sure they stay here,” Kehoe said.
He has also defended the state’s gas tax and his vote to allow foreign entities to purchase farmland.
He said at the time, it was a vote to keep Missourians who worked at Smithfield Foods, which was purchased by a Hong Kong-based company, employed.
Kehoe pushed back on the notion that he isn’t conservative enough, which was an attack lobbed against him by some fellow Republicans.
“I believe that you represent the party's values and you move forward,” Kehoe had said in an interview with St. Louis Public Radio.
After declaring victory Tuesday night, Kehoe spoke with his supporters about uniting the Republican Party.
For the past few years, more conservative Republicans in the Missouri Senate have butted heads with Republican leadership.
“This campaign has also exposed some deep divisions within our party,” Kehoe said. “So let me say this, the future of Missouri is too important for the Republican Party to reduce to finger-pointing and name-calling. We have to join together if we’re going to defeat our common enemy."
Kehoe will now face state Rep. Crystal Quade, the House minority leader, in the November election.
“The election is not over. Tomorrow we’re going to go back to work so that [in] three months I’m standing in front of you as governor-elect and in five months from now, I place my hand on my mother’s Bible,” Kehoe said.
While deeply red Missouri is likely to again elect a Republican to the state’s highest office, there are factors that could influence the race.
One is President Joe Biden dropping his reelection bid and Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic nominee.
Another is a proposed constitutional amendment to end Missouri’s abortion ban that will be on the ballot.
Both could lead to greater voter turnout for Democrats and the possibility of affecting the governor’s race.
