BLURRED LINES YET CLEAR DIFFERENCES
BY JACOB LUECKE
In diverging from their parties, governor candidates create race defined by policy
KOSTER FOR MISSOURI, GREITENS FOR MISSOURI
The Missouri governor’ s race offers a choice between elected experience and an outsider’ s fresh perspective. It’ s a referendum on right-to-work in Missouri. It’ s a contest between continuing to push for Medicaid expansion and seeking another path.
It is— refreshingly— an election centered on contrasting positions that relate to important Missouri issues.
What it’ s not is a race defined by strict ideology or party loyalty.
That’ s because when Missouri voters go to the polls on Nov. 8, they will choose between two credible candidates who hold views that skew toward the middle of Missouri’ s political spectrum.
The Democrat, Chris Koster, boasts more than 20 years of service as an elected official. For the last eight years, he’ s served as the state’ s attorney general. His résumé also includes holding a caucus leadership role when he was a Republican in the Missouri Senate. Earlier, he was the Cass County prosecuting attorney.
“ A good deal will be made this year over whether experience or a lack of experience is a better background to serve as governor of this state,” said Koster.“ My personal opinion is that it is better to know the government you lead than to not know it. And the deeper one’ s understanding of this great state, the better one is able to manage this $ 27 billion enterprise we call Missouri.”
The Republican, Eric Greitens, is a political newcomer. He gained national notoriety as a Navy SEAL, author and founder of a nonprofit called The Mission Continues. He has been named one of Time’ s 100 Most Influential People. He was also included on Fortune’ s list of the World’ s 50 Greatest Leaders.
“ Our government is broken. Our economy is lagging. Our kids aren’ t getting a quality education. The failure of career politicians is hurting real people,” Greitens said.“ We can’ t trust the same people who got us into this mess to get us out. We need someone who has proven himself in the real world to take our state forward.”
During their careers and this campaign, both Greitens and Koster have taken positions at odds with their parties.
When Republicans in the Missouri General Assembly tried to pass a religious liberty amendment to the state’ s constitution earlier this year, Greitens was the only Republican governor candidate to
12 MISSOURI BUSINESS