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Aug. 5 primary to set up race for state’s top job
(by Rebecca S. Rivas - July 24, 2008)
It’s rare to walk into a coffee shop or even a 7-Eleven without overhearing chatter about “Obama” or “What’s next for Hillary?”
But, Missourians shouldn’t be so quick to jump into the presidential election. They still have to cast their votes in the state’s Aug. 5 primary election, which determines the political party candidates for governor, attorney general, state treasurer and many other local positions.
In the primary, voters decide who gets on the ballot in November. Some of the local races are almost as heated as the presidential primary races, with passionate debates about health care, education and tactics for stimulating the economy. Over the next two weeks, the West End Word will highlight various races and issues to help voters prepare for the primary.
Missouri’s next governor
It had long been assumed in political circles that Gov. Matt Blunt, a Republican, would run for re-election and Jay Nixon, the Democratic attorney general, would be his opponent. But then in January Blunt announced he didn’t want a second term, claiming he achieved most of what he wanted to achieve in his first term. That reasoning convinced few, and Blunt’s absence on the ballot has opened up a vicious primary race between Republicans seeking the party’s nomination.
Blunt’s announcement has caused much speculation as to his true motive; there have a number of scandals surrounding the Blunt administration, and perhaps the most damaging was the policy of deleting e-mails that should by law have been kept as public records. Nixon had been pushing Blunt hard on this issue, causing some to question whether the conflict was between Blunt and Nixon the attorney general or Nixon the future candidate for governor.
These subplots have faded into the background, and the debate has returned to traditional bread-and-butter issues that affect Missouri’s future.
In the Research 2000 Missouri Poll of 800 likely voters, Missourians said the main issues that will determine their choice for governor are health care, education, economy and taxes. So far, both the Democratic and Republican candidates have largely decided to wait until after the primary to reveal their strategies on addressing the major issues, said Steve Puro, political science professor at St. Louis University. Democratic candidate and Attorney General Jay Nixon is running virtually unopposed against Daniel Carroll from Shelbina, Mo., making it unnecessary for Nixon to distinguish himself from his Democratic opponent. Carroll is a factory worker with no previous political experience.
“No one seems to be mounting an effective challenge to Nixon’s nomination, so he can focus on making his policy arguments for the November general election,” said David Robertson, political science professor at University of Missouri-St. Louis.
However, the Republican Party has four names on the ballot for governor: State Treasurer Sarah Steelman, U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, Scott Long and Jennie Lee Schwartze Sievers.
When the top two candidates, Steelman and Hulshof, are not launching attacks or shielding themselves from criticism from each other, they preach variations on the same Republican themes: less public spending and regulation, lower taxes and conservative social policy, including opposing gay marriage and abortion. While both Steelman and Hulshof are burning money campaigning against each other, Nixon has reported a total of $3.75 million earmarked for his campaign in November.
The other two Republican candidates are Scott Long, a teacher from southern Missouri, and Jennie Lee Schwartze Sievers, who has been a candidate in the past two gubernatorial elections.
Health care
In 2005, Gov. Matt Blunt made cuts in the state’s Medicaid program that ended medical coverage for more than 90,000 people. Under Blunt’s plan, a woman with two children does not qualify for Medicaid if she earns more than about $350 a month. Blunt’s approval rating never exceeded 50 percent after the cuts. Both Steelman and Hulshof defend Blunt’s action, saying that government should not play a significant role in providing health care. Steelman believes that the government should brainstorm with medical and insurance industries on ways to offer cost-effective health insurance.
Nixon, on the other hand, said in a statement that the governor turned down over $1 billion in matching federal funds that would have provided Missourians with health insurance.
“When it comes to investing in a healthy Missouri, Matt Blunt is clearly taking us in the wrong direction,” Nixon said.
Education
All the candidates promise to focus on offering more opportunities for students who want to go to college. Hulshof supported the Lewis & Clark Discovery Initiative, which raised $335 million for the state’s higher education institutions. Steelman serves as the chair of MOST, Missouri’s 529 College Saving Plan and would enact an initiative to leverage unclaimed property and generate interest to provide matching grants to students in the program.
Nixon promotes the “Missouri Promise” plan, which would expand the state’s A-plus program to increase scholarships for students from families of $80,000 and less.
None of the candidates have offered specific plans regarding K-12 public education but they have made vague statements about improving the quality of education in the state.
“Nixon is going to try to distinguish himself against the Republican candidates,” Puro said. He also said that, as a gubernatorial candidate, Nixon would emphasize supporting traditional public education through greater investment, while the main two Republican candidates would focus on vouchers, which opens up opportunities at private schools for those in poorly performing urban districts. This approach would appeal to sociallyconservative voters, particularly in southwest Missouri and the St. Louis metropolitan area, Puro said.
Economy
The problems of the budget-strained education and health care systems stem from a lackluster economy. Missouri has an unemployment rate of 6 percent, and the state lost 15,000 jobs last fall.
Although candidates have debated stimulating the state’s economy by increasing personal tax deductions and doing away with the 1 percent earnings, they all seem to realize that it’s a national issue and one they have little control over.
“None of the gubernatorial candidates have shown a way to revive the state’s economy,” Puro said. “That will come out after the primary.”
Immigration
In the Republican Party, immigration remains a hot-button issue. This year, Blunt led a fight to increase penalties against employers who hire illegal immigrants, along with several other initiatives that affected the immigrant population. Steelman and Hulshof are sticking close to this position.
Nixon has taken a moderate approach; however, he does support Blunt’s instruction to the Highway Patrol to check residency or immigration status of those arrested or jailed. He also supports making English the official language in Missouri, as does Hulshof.
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