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Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe On The Keys To Victory For His First Statewide Contest

Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe presides over the Missouri Senate in May 2019.
File photo / Carolina Hidalgo
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St. Louis Public Radio
Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe presides over the Missouri Senate in May 2019.

Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll to talk about his campaign for a full four-year term on the latest episode of Politically Speaking.

Kehoe is running against Democrat Alissia Canady on Nov. 3. He was appointed to his post in 2018 after then-Lt. Gov. Mike Parson became governor when Eric Greitens resigned. This is Kehoe’s first statewide contest.

You can listen to Canady’s episode of Politically Speaking by clicking here.

Here’s what Kehoe talked about on the program:

  • The impact of the Buy Missouri program, which Parson started to promote Missouri-based small businesses. He also discussed some of the major challenges these businesses face since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Why he would be prepared to become governor if the governor died, resigned or was appointed to another position.
  • Changes to the low-income housing tax credit program that the Missouri Housing Development Commission agreed to earlier this fall. As lieutenant governor, Kehoe is a member of that panel, which decided to restart the incentive to build housing for the poor, disabled and elderly.
  • Whether, with some polls indicating a closer presidential race in Missouri this time than in 2016, the national political environment could affect his bid for a full term.

Kehoe spent nearly eight years as a state senator representing several mid-Missouri counties, including Cole. Before that, he was a member of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission — which oversees the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Before getting into elective office, Kehoe was a car dealer. He became something of a household name in central Missouri, with his commercials saying that “Mid-Missouri loves a Mike Kehoe deal.”

Kehoe is a north St. Louis native and a graduate of Chaminade. His family was close with Dave Sinclair, another north St. Louis native who established one of the most successful car dealerships in the state. This episode of Politically Speaking was recorded at a Dave Sinclair dealership in St. Peters.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jacyln Driscoll on Twitter: @DriscollNPR

Follow Mike Kehoe on Twitter: @mikelkehoe

Music: “Cars” by Gary Numan

Jason is the politics correspondent for St. Louis Public Radio.
Jaclyn is the Jefferson City statehouse reporter for St. Louis Public Radio.