SEDALIA, Mo.—The slogan is unavoidable here in the county seat of Pettis County. “Let’s Cross Paths.”
Thursday here at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, many of the state’s political leaders will do just that with each other, and potential voters. The Fair’s annual Governor’s Ham Breakfast brings together a bipartisan group of politicians to talk about agriculture and other topics.
It won’t be a surprise to see just about every statewide candidate who plans to be on the August 2024 primary ballot on hand. We’ll be sharing interviews and observations throughout the day.
Budget veto override looks unlikely
Last week in this space, we reported that House Majority Floor Leader Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit said the idea that the GOP majority voting to override budget vetoes from a Republican Governor “would be rather extraordinary and improbable.”
Lawmakers from St. Charles County grumbled over the summer after Gov. Parson vetoed millions in funding for projects there, suggesting that the veto session could be “entertaining.”
On Monday, Parson, in Foristell to celebrate the $2.8 billion expansion of Interstate 70 to three lanes from Wentzville to Blue Springs, defended the cuts.
“Sometimes I think we all got to kind of take a step back and be thankful for what we do have and what we did get let alone worry about all the things we didn't get. I mean for the vast majority of areas across the state, every rep, every senator got multiple projects in their areas where they never received before,” he said. “When you look at a $52 billion dollar budget, and you think of less than a billion dollars in vetoes in the scope of the big picture it's not a whole lot.”
State Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Spectrum News he’s heard from his colleagues but echoed Parson’s statement.
“I think everyone has successes and maybe a few disappointments in the budget but all in all we've had a 50 plus billion dollar budget that made investments all over the state, in everyone's district so I think we're in good shape."
Third race the charm?
It is not uncommon to see candidates declare for one race, and even file campaign paperwork–which can’t happen officially until next February anyway–only to shift to another race as campaigns develop.
But one candidate this week confirmed that he’s shifting gears again after announcing his candidacy for two races.
John Kiehne, a Eureka business owner and a Democrat, planned to run for Lt. Gov., but shifted his focus to a State House seat after learning in June that State Rep. Richard Brown, the Assistant Minority Floor Leader, was going to run.
Kiehne, who has made previous runs at State House and State Senate seats in recent years, has now opted to get into the second congressional district race hoping to challenge U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner in 2024.
“I had spent a lot of time and money on that LG race already, but I don’t see the point in Primarying people when we have so few resources for seats that are really tough for a Democrat to win anyhow,” Kiehne told Spectrum News in a direct message.
“After 3x “taking it for the team” in races that a Democrat can’t win, I want to run a race that at least has the *potential* to be won by a Democrat-plus CD2 includes areas where I’ve been working politically for 5 years, the area that I grew up in, and areas where I’ve lived in the past,” he wrote.