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September 15th , 2024 Len’s Political Note #667 Crystal Quade, Missouri Governor
2024 General Election
Crystal Quade
Missouri is a tough state for Democrats. On the other hand, Democrats are getting better at electing governors. Here we have a young Democratic pro running against a former Republican businessman turned pro in a state that borders Kansas where the Democratic governor has made a practice of defeating Republicans.
Can Crystal Quade do as well in Missouri as Laura Kelly has done in Kansas? Since 2016, Crystal Quade has represented the 132nd House District which includes a portion of Springfield, the home of Missouri State University. Springfield is a university town in the Ozarks. Like most of the Ozarks, Springfield and the 132ndHouse district is conservative even when it elects Democrats.
Crystal Quade, graduated from Missouri State. She was the first in her family to graduate from high school. Currently the minority leader in the House, she is leading the Democrats against a Republican supermajority of 111 to 51 with 1 vacancy.
In 2017, Crystal Quade was interviewed by the “Got a Girl Crush” blog. She explained she had originally thought she might become a lawyer. At school, though, she took a social work course and learned the extent to which the law governed what social workers can do. She examined her interest in politics, did an internship in the capital, Jefferson City, and was on her way.
Asked how to be confident and find her voice in a setting that is so male dominated, she responded: “It is hard; it is still hard. I waited tables for a really long time and I bartended and that world really prepared me for politics …. Because when you wait tables there is a lot of sexism in that world, too. So that really helped me with learning how to present myself in a way that said, “I’m confident and I’m not going to take your shit, but I’m also not going to be an asshole to you because I rely on your tips.” Politics is very much the same way.”
“The number one thing that I tell women is to remember that you are just as qualified if not more qualified than everyone else in the room. … One thing I tell people when they come advocate in Jeff City is that no one person is an expert in everything, particularly when it comes to policy, and we have to remember that. Even if we aren’t the most qualified there will be moments throughout our lives when we are and then we have to accept that role even if we don’t feel that we should.”
She added: “Every day when I am in Jeff City I am asked if I am an intern, I am asked who I work for, when I am on the floor I am winked at, I am called “hon,” hands are put on the small of my back to guide me into rooms. Even though I am their equal and oftentimes got more votes than they did. That said, yes I do think it is changing. …. You see that in the Women’s March and these pop-up groups and the number of women who are getting involved and willing to step up and run for office are just astronomical compared to just two years ago. “
Seven years after that interview, the world and Missouri are still changing. Crystal Quade is now the Democratic nominee for Governor. The Secretary of State has certified that there are more than enough signatures to place an amendment before the voters in November to add protection of women’s right to an abortion to Missouri’s constitution.
The Republicans have just completed a bitter primary contest for who would be the nominee. Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe defeated State Senator Bill Eigel and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft 39-33-23 percent. Back in February, a St. Louis University poll projected that Jay Ashcraft, based, perhaps, on name recognition, would win out. They certainly did not expect him to come in third.
Money may have made the difference. Even in February, Kehoe had raised $4.3 million to Ashcroft’s $2.2 million. Eigel was trailing with $1.6 million. By the time Missouri Republicans voted in the primary, Kehoe had raised triple Eigel’s resources and Ashcroft had simply not raised much.
Owner of a car dealership, Mike Kehoe was appointed, in 2005, to the Highway and Transportation Commission by Governor Matt Blunt. In 2010, with Blunt no longer governor, Kehoe ran for the state senate. He won a close primary and was elected without Democratic opposition. In 2011, he committed himself to politics and sold the car dealership.
In 2018, after Lt. Governor Mike Parson was elevated to being Governor due to scandal-ridden Governor Eric Greitens’ resignation, Parson appointed Mike Kehoe as Lt. Governor. The appointment was controversial, not because of Kehoe himself, but because of uncertainty about Parson’s authority to make the appointment. Kehoe was elected Lt. Governor in his own right in 2020 and has raised considerable amounts of money for his 2024 campaign for Governor. At least one source noted the number of companies with contracts with the state among the donors.
Can Crystal Quade win election by attaching herself to the abortion rights constitutional amendment? So far, a similar amendment has passed in all seven states that have considered such an amendment.
Even if the abortion rights amendment passes, a Democrat winning election statewide in Missouri would be a surprise. In 2020, Mike Parson was elected governor defeating the state auditor Nicole Galloway 57 – 41. That same year, Donald Trump carried Missouri 57 – 41.
Making up a 16 point margin is not easy. Help Crystal Quade make the gubernatorial race into a contest. If the enthusiasm for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz turns 2024 into a Democratic year, Crystal Quade could be a surprise elected. Make that surprise happen. DONATE. VOLUNTEER
Other competitive or interesting gubernatorial races
North Carolina
This is the most important gubernatorial election of 2024. Former Attorney General Josh Stein leads North Carolina Democrats into a near apocalyptic struggle against the extreme right. He is the moderate Democratic son of a pioneering, progressive attorney. His opponent, Lt. Governor Mark Robinson has been a defender of gun rights, argues that abortion is murder, opposes federal funds for education, and stands out as being as anti-democratic as Donald Trump. Among his running mates is a Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate who would abolish public schools if she could. DONATE to Josh Stein. VOLUNTEER. Consider the entire North Carolina Democratic party. DONATE No other state has so many potentially close statewide races with particularly appealing Democrats running against extremist Republicans.
Indiana
Another possible surprise. Former Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick had been a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent. She became convinced that the Republican leadership had no interest in making Indiana schools the rigorous places they ought to be. Her solution to her problem with the Republicans was to quit their political party and run for Governor as a Democrat. Indiana Democrats are happy with her. US Senator Mike Braun, who is leaving the Senate expecting an easy ride to be governor, may not be as happy. Jennifer McCormick does not have the kind of resources that Braun has for the campaign, but she does have knowledge on the ground about state government. Braun has already demonstrated his lack of knowledge. He made a proposal to reduce property tax rates. His proposal had such differential effects that, within days, he had to attempt to adjust it. Jennifer McCormick’s property tax proposal was a little more complex. Her poposal has generated no such bad reaction.
Do not count her out. Help her out. DONATE. VOLUNTEER.
Montana
A victory here would also be a surprise. Former gun manufacture executive Ryan Busse saw the light. He is not giving up hunting. He continues to own guns at home and has taught his sons to hunt and shoot. After leading a boycott of Smith & Wesson for agreeing to gun safety measures, he gradually shifted his views, and not only on gun safety. He supported Barack Obama because he thought the Democrat would be more likely to protect public lands. The Marjorie Stoneham Douglas mass shooting was, for him and his wife, the last straw. He became an advisor to Joe Biden on gun issues. And now he is running for governor of Montana against the extreme conservative Greg Gianforte – a man who got in trouble after moving to Montana because he blocked others from access to fishing spots, a man who manhandled a reporter whose writing he did not like, and a man who does not accept dissent, even from fellow Republicans. Democrats throughout the country will be fortunate if Montanans keep Jon Tester as US Senator. Ryan Busse gives Montanans another Democrat to vote for. He is a long shot, but very much worth providing some support. DONATE. VOLUNTEER.
Utah
A surprise victory for Brian King would be the product of an odd alliance with extreme conservative State Rep Phil Lyman. Lyman won the Republican Party convention, but lost in the primary. He announced a write-in campaign for Governor, intentionally undermining the incumbent Republican governor, Spencer Cox’s run for reelection. Lyman began his write-in campaign using a joint advertisement with Brian King. Arguing that Governor Cox is part of a corrupt establishment, Lyman tells voters they are better off voting for Brian King than for Spencer Cox.
Brian King describes himself as the descendent of Joseph Smith’s martyred brother Hyrum, and the South Utah pioneer Lyman family (No one seems to note whether or not that makes him a relative of Phil Lyman). He recalls his rancher grandfather and his attorney father, in particular, his father’s commitment to the law. He recalls his mother’s feminism and logical understanding of the world. He recalls lively dinner table conversations that were more exploratory than adversarial. And he recalls a permanent sense of growing up “for the better.” He describes his legal career as frequently a matter of David versus Goliath. He describes his time as an LDS Bishop as an opportunity to connect with people in their “vulnerable moments.” He describes his service in the legislature as an occasion for learning the “art of thoughtful disagreement for the better.” And he describes his recent interfaith marriage to Ann Silverberg Williamson, which increased the number of children in his family from three to seven, as an opportunity to celebrate diversity of opinion. Finally, he describes this new family as a microcosm of Utah’s “richness of diversity” and as a “source of strength and unity”.
Can this guy get elected governor? Maybe he can with Phil Lyman’s help. Help him try. DONATE. VOLUNTEER.
Washington
Bob Ferguson’s contest for Governor, especially compared to those described above, should be easy. A bookish descendent of pioneers, a graduate of a Catholic High School, the University of Washington, the Jesuit Volunteers, and NYU’s law school, he became a litigator. Memorable cases including protecting taxpayers from paying the cost of construction overruns of a baseball stadium’s construction and challenging the constitutionality of anti-tax schemes. As a county councilor and attorney general, he continued his efforts as protecting taxpayers, insisting, for instance, on the purchase of used furniture for a new county office building. As attorney general, he sued Comcast for deceiving customers and a flower store for refusing to provide flowers for a same sex wedding.
Bob Ferguson has his hobbies. He is a mountain climber and a birder; he has won the Washington State chess championship and is ranked internationally. He should defeat former Congressman David Reichert, a former county sheriff. Reichert left Congress in 2018. Analysts suggest the retirement from Congress was a product of his discomfort with Trump’s behavior as President.
Whatever Reichert’s reasoning, Bob Ferguson, seems to be ahead. The Cook Report sees the race as leaning Democratic; Inside Elections says Bob Ferguson is the likely winner. In mid-June, the Washington State Standard reported that Bob Ferguson had raised $7.4 million to Reichert’s $3.7 million. Nothing is ever certain. If you wanted to help, it would be welcome. DONATE. VOLUNTEER. For Bob Ferguson.
New Hampshire
We don’t know yet who the Democratic candidate for governor will be. The primary is on September 10. Democrats will choose between Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Executive Council Member Cinde Warmington. The nominee will probably face former US Senator Kelly Ayotte, who is making a come back from her 2016 loss to then governor, now Senator Maggie Hassan.
WE HAVE A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO WIN
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz
As we look toward November, 2024, excited, if you may be, by the extraordinary convention, help sustain the Harris/Walz campaign. Every donation, large or small, makes a difference. Larger donations mean more money for the campaign. But many in the media count the number of small donations as a measure of enthusiasm for the candidate. Make a small donation if you cannot afford a large one. DONATE TO KAMALA HARRIS & TIM WALZ. VOLUNTEER. Be part of a new beginning for the United States of America and for the Democratic Party.
