Missouri picks Mike Kehoe over Crystal Quade in race for governor

JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri's No. 2 statewide official was poised to become Missouri's 58th governor Tuesday, as early unofficial returns showed him cruising to victory over the minority leader of the House.

Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe comfortably led the polls in the reliably red state and initial vote counts showed he was garnering strong rural support in his bid to take over for term-limited Gov. Mike Parson.

Democrat Crystal Quade of Springfield was counting on increased interest in a well-financed ballot question restoring abortion rights would propel her to a longshot victory.

With nearly 20% of the vote tallied, Kehoe led Quade by a 51-46 margin.

Voters also made their choices for four other statewide offices, including attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and lieutenant governor. The Republican candidates were leading in early returns.

Kehoe was cruising in rural Missouri, while Quade looked to lock up the state's Democratic strongholds in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Kehoe, 62, is a St. Louis native who worked his way up through the ranks of car dealers until he bought his own Ford franchise in the state's capital city.

Former Gov. Matt Blunt appointed him to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission in 2006, setting off what has become a nearly two decade run in state government.

"It's impressive to watch how he connects with people," said Ron Fitzwater, mayor of Kehoe's adopted hometown of Jefferson City, during a campaign event for the GOP ticket on Monday.

Kehoe ran for a seat in the state Senate in 2010, where he ascended to a top leadership post before his two four-year terms ended.

He was about to exit politics altogether when Parson appointed him lieutenant governor in 2018. He won a full, four-year term in 2020.

In the run-up to Election Day, Kehoe said he and his wife, Claudia, made 470 campaign stops across 16,000 miles since June 1, he told attendees at an event near the state Capitol Monday.

"The state has been very good to me. It's my turn to give back," Kehoe said.

Quade, 39, is term-limited after eight years in the House, including four years as minority leader. She had hitched her campaign to the abortion amendment, hoping to pick up energized crossover voters.

But, Quade was seriously outgunned financially after Kehoe launched a fundraising juggernaut that swamped her campaign. He also nailed down key endorsements from a variety of industries and law enforcement, significantly narrowing her path.

Quade leaned on financial support from labor unions.

Kehoe said the abortion question that Quade was banking on for support also could work in his favor by bringing out conservative voters who want to keep the ban on the procedure in place.

"It is way too extreme," Kehoe said.

In all, Team Kehoe spent more than $18.6 million in search of a victory, while Quade spent about $2.3 million.

If she loses, Quade could run for state Senate in 2026 when the current senator from Springfield, Lincoln Hough, is termed out. A race could come sooner if Hough lands a coveted appointment in the new administration.

Kehoe was a major driver of the effort to raise the state's gasoline tax , which he says is responsible in part for the launch of a long-sought widening of Interstate 70 across Missouri's mid-section.

But he said crime, not transportation, will be the No. 1 focus of his tenure, followed by issues revolving around the state budget and the economy.

Other statewide contests include:

• Attorney General : Republican Andrew Bailey, another Parson appointee, won an expensive Republican primary against Will Scharf in August. Democrat Elad Gross of St. Louis, Bailey's general election challenger, has run a spirited campaign with far less funding than Scharf had.

Bailey said the abortion amendment had energized religious groups to get out and cast "no" votes.

"I think in rural Missouri it is equally motivating to the other side. I see the evangelical community stepping up, certainly the Catholic community stepping up, all of them saying they want to protect life. Those long early voting lines are directly attributable to Amendment 3 being on the ballot," Bailey said.

• Lieutenant Governor : Republican David Wasinger, a St. Louis County attorney who formerly served on the University of Missouri Board of Curators, has heavily outspent Democrat Richard Brown, the assistant minority leader in the Missouri House.

• Secretary of State : Rep. Barbara Phifer, a Methodist pastor from Kirkwood, faces Sen. Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg. Phifer has criticized Hoskins for adopting some of former President Donald Trump's debunked election fraud stances. She has also said his plan to hand-count ballots would "create chaos."

• State Treasurer : Republican Vivek Malek, an immigrant from India who was appointed to the post by Gov. Mike Parson, has run on a heavily anti-illegal immigration platform. His opponent, Democrat Mark Osmack, says the treasurer's office has little to do with the nation's southern border.

This story will be updated through election night.

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Jefferson City reporter