Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said he is undeterred by the overwhelming majority of voters that struck down two of his major political initiatives.
About 80% of voters said no last week to proposed Amendments 4 and 5 — initiatives making it harder for the public to amend the constitution and starting the process of eliminating the income tax.
Speaking after an event in Rolla on Monday night, Kehoe said he is going to continue the conversation and look for other avenues to achieve the same goals.
"It is what it is. It turned out a lot worse than what we thought. But it doesn't change the mission. The mission is to get Missourians more money in their pockets so they can keep what they earn," Kehoe said.
Kehoe attributed the losses to special interest money, even though both sides spent significantly on the election.
"I always say follow the money," Kehoe said. "Those special interests spent a lot of money because they have, quite frankly, great deals in the tax code right now."
Kehoe also talked about his trip last week to Panama.
Kehoe said the motive behind the trip was primarily to celebrate Missouri's 30th anniversary of working in the Central American nation. He said the Missouri National Guard is playing a key role in helping Panama's military with security efforts, especially cybersecurity.
"After visiting with key leaders in the government and business leaders — that particular piece is very, very important to that country and they are very grateful we are involved," Kehoe said.
The governor said the trip included trade meetings with companies interested in purchasing products manufactured in Missouri as well as the state's agricultural exports.
"We met with ministers of agriculture and commerce and the minister who runs the Panama Canal," Kehoe said. "We talked about Missouri and what economic benefits we have for companies that are looking to expand into the United States."
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