The 2024 race for governor is heating up. Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has officially joined the race.
“I’m asking the people of the state of Missouri to elect me as their governor in August of 2024,” Ashcroft told Missourinet. “They’ve allowed me to serve as Secretary of State going on two terms and I’m hoping because of my past performance they’ll allow me to be promoted to governor so I may continue to serve them.”
Ashcroft, a Republican, said he wants to prioritize many other issues that he cannot push to the fullest in his current role.
“We need local government control of education and the most local government you can have is putting the parents in charge. We need to make sure that no person in the state has to move to feel safe. We need to make sure that companies and businesses feel safe about coming and building and can attract employers so that your children and mine can grow up and continue to live in Missouri. We need to start returning some of the largesse of the state back to the people,” said Ashcroft.
He joins fellow Republican, Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe, in the bid for the state’s highest office. State Sen. Bill Eigel, a Republican, is also exploring a run.
Ashcroft talks about how he thinks he stands out from the other Republicans in the race.
“People want leadership but they don’t want just social media posts and people that talk a lot. This is a Show Me State. We want people that can bring results, that will show that they can get things done. I think that’s what I bring to the table that no one else does,” he said.
The Secretary of State is not a term-limited position, but Ashcroft said he does not think office holders should stay in the same position for a long time.
Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, is debating a run for governor.
“From the time he was defeated for state Senate a decade ago, it’s been clear Jay Ashcroft feels holding office is his birthright based on his father’s accomplishments instead of a sacred duty to serve the citizens of Missouri,” Quade said in a written statement. “Missourians deserve a governor who is dedicated to them, not an extremist who thinks he’s entitled to the People’s Mansion because of his last name.”
Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, is term-limited and cannot run for another term in 2024.
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