Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe fights off challengers to win Republican primary for MO governor

Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe fought off a pack of Republican rivals to win his party's nomination for governor Tuesday.

Kehoe appeared to be an early favorite but faced a strong challenges, first from Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and, later in the race, from state Sen. Bill Eigel. They were atop a slate of nine candidates vying to be the GOP gubernatorial candidate on the November ballot.

"I am so proud of the race we ran — but this campaign also exposed some deep divisions within our party. So let me say this: The future of Missouri is too important for the Republican Party to be reduced to finger-pointing and name-calling. We have to join together if we’re going to defeat our common foe," Kehoe said in a speech after the election.

"And make no mistake: Our common foe is the bad policies pushed by Washington, D.C. — the dangerous progressive experiments that coddle criminals and make our streets more dangerous, the open border policies that flood our country with illegal immigrants and fentanyl, and the dependency on government that deflates people’s drive and threatens their futures."

Kehoe, along with Ashcroft and Eigel, had all been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and were at the forefront in fundraising and campaigning.

TV ads for Kehoe, Ashcroft and Eigel — paid for by their campaigns and political action committees — have been dominant locally and across Missouri. All three leading Republicans had touted public safety, education and border security in their campaigns.

In a speech after the win, Kehoe congratulated "my opponents on running a spirited campaign."

"So to all of my friends and supporters: Tonight, let’s celebrate. But not too much, because the election is not over," said Kehoe, who will face Democratic and Libertarian challengers in November to determine who will succeed Gov. Mike Parson and become the 58th governor of Missouri.

"Tomorrow, we’re going back to work so that in three months, I’m standing in front of you as governor-elect, and five months from now, I place my hand on that Bible. We’re going to continue working hard so that years from now, after my time as governor is done, we have an even safer, stronger, and more prosperous Missouri."

Parson, who has been governor since 2018, appointed Kehoe as the state's 48th Lieutenant Governor in June 2018. Kehoe was elected to a full term in 2020.

In his final State of the State address, Parson said he backed Kehoe to be his successor.

Kehoe, raised in North St. Louis City, started as a business owner before running for political office. He is a first-generation farmer.

Elected to the Missouri Senate in 2010, Kehoe served as the Minority Floor Leader. He previously served as chair of the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission.

Kehoe said reducing crime is his top priority and he will provide the resources needed to get it under control and to hire more law enforcement officers and give them the resources they need to effectively patrol their communities.

"We’ve heard from too many family farmers and ranchers that government regulations are strangling their ability to maximize their production that feeds and clothes the world. Those less than common sense regulations dampen the hopes of second-, third-, and fourth-generation farmers. We need the incredible talents of our young farmers and ranchers. We will get government out of their way and grow our ag economy," Kehoe said.

"We’ve heard from too many parents who see schools failing their children. Missouri should continue to strengthen public education and expand school choice options so that every single student has the opportunity to get a world-class education."

Kehoe added: "We’ve heard from too many workers who can’t find good jobs. Missouri can lower taxes, invest in jobcreators, and compete with states that are out-hustling us."

Republican opponents concede after close race

At various points in the primary campaign, polls had shown Ashcroft leading both Kehoe and Eigel but the momentum shifted in the days leading up to the election.

Tuesday night, unofficial voting results showed Kehoe winning with 39.4% of the vote. Eigel came in second with 32.6% and Ashcroft trailing with 23.2%.

Eigel, a U.S. Air Force military veteran, was elected to the Missouri Senate in 2016, representing part of St. Charles County, where he has owned a business for more than a decade.

Eigel referred to himself as the "anti-establishment candidate" as well as a disruptor.

In a concession speech Tuesday, Eigel said "we didn't achieve the outcome we wanted."

"I know there's going to be a lot of folks that are disappointed with that and I understand that but I don't want you to let your chins down, alright? There's a lot of things we did accomplish," he said.

Eigel said some of the messages from his campaign will live beyond the campaign. "We fought for the values we believe in."

Ashcroft was elected the state's 40th Secretary of State in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. A major part of the role is to oversee federal and state elections and provide guidance, as needed, to local election authorities.

His top priority was giving parents more control over their children's education with state funding for education to "follow the child."

Ashcroft said he wants the state funds that would typically go to a public school to educate a child to be placed in a savings account, similar to the health savings account that many employers provide.

He said the funds could be used to pay tuition at a private school, hire a tutor, or purchase homeschool materials.

Of the frontrunners, Ashcroft is the only one from southwest Missouri. He held a watch party Tuesday at the new Moxy hotel on South Avenue.

Other Republican candidates on the ballot included Darren Grant, Jeremy Gundel, Darrell McClanahan III, Robert James Olson, Amber Thomsen and Chris Wright.

Three candidates hail from southwest Missouri: Olson is from Springfield, Thomsen is from Hollister and Wright lives in the Joplin area.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Mike Kehoe wins Republican primary for Missouri governor