Kehoe victorious in governor's race

Nov. 5—Mike Kehoe has been declared the winner of the race for governor of Missouri, defeating Democrat Crystal Quade.

At his election night party in Jefferson City, Kehoe, currently the state's lieutenant governor, thanked supporters and vowed to get to work on day one of his administration.

"From the beginning of this campaign, we said that no one would outwork us," he said. "We've traveled tens of thousands of miles. We've visited every county in the state. We've met and listened to thousands of Missourians. It's been the experience of a lifetime — and I couldn't have done it without the grace of God, my family, my campaign team, and all of you."

Kehoe's victory speech emphasized what he calls his lifelong motto of "Pray harder, work harder." During his remarks, he discussed his priorities of crime prevention and police support.

"As soon as my hand comes off the Bible, the Kehoe administration will be relentless in our efforts to make Missouri safer," he said. "We will ensure that Missouri is a state where it is easier to be a cop than a criminal, and we will not rest until the criminals who make our streets and our neighborhoods dangerous are held accountable. And to the brave police officers: we will always have your backs."

He also spoke about his education plans.

"We're going to strengthen public education and expand school choice so that every single student has the opportunity to get a world-class education," he said. "And we'll prepare our kids for the workforce by making sure they have the options they need to achieve their American Dreams — whether that's a four-year college or career technical education."

Quade released a statement that said, in part, "While today's results weren't what we hoped for, I'm immensely honored by the support our campaign received throughout the state."

She added that she called Kehoe to congratulate him and wish him the best of luck.

Kehoe carried Buchanan County with almost 64% of the vote.

Kehoe plans a press conference on Wednesday afternoon to name his transition director.