KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Gov. Mike Parson, who entered office two years ago after his predecessor resigned amid scandal, earned a full term Tuesday, with Missouri voters choosing the Republican to continue leading them through the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
Parson beat Democrat Nicole Galloway, the state auditor, who had aggressively criticized the governor's handling of the crisis and his refusal to issue a statewide mask mandate as the virus swept through Missouri. She would have been the first woman to serve as Missouri governor if elected.
The Associated Press called the race for Parson about 9:40 p.m. By 10:20 p.m., Parson had established a commanding lead of 17 points with more than 2.3 million votes counted.
The two candidates clashed over how to fight the surge in violent crime that's bedeviled Kansas City and St. Louis, and traded attacks over who can best revitalize an economy that took a gut punch from the virus. In the final days of the campaign, their high school educations — private vs. public — even became a campaign issue.
"This election was about preserving freedom, capitalism and the rule of law," Parson told a cheering crowd of supporters in Springfield just after 10 p.m. "However, there is more work to be done and that work starts tomorrow."
Galloway, speaking in Columbia a few minutes later, said that while her campaign was over, "our work continues."
"We must continue to organize, to advocate and fight to ensure that our leaders put the needs of working families first," Galloway said.
Parson, a 65-year-old former county sheriff from Bolivar, was elected lieutenant governor in 2016 after 12 years as a state legislator. He became governor on June 1, 2018, following the resignation of Gov. Eric Greitens, who left office as the General Assembly began to weigh impeachment.
Until the pandemic struck, Parson pursued a standard Republican agenda, emphasizing job creation and economic development. He also signed one of the most aggressive abortion restrictions in the country into law in 2019, banning the procedure after the eighth week of pregnancy.
But the virus dominated the governor's race and became a lens through which other issues, such as the economy and health care, were seen. Missouri has reported more than 188,000 cases over the course of the pandemic and more than 3,000 deaths.
Parson touted his administration's early response to the pandemic, which included securing aid for hospitals and suspending regulations to allow more telemedicine and allow supplies to move more quickly around the state. He promoted what he said was a falling death rate even as the actual number of Missourians dying rose.
The outbreak may only intensify in the coming winter months as people huddle indoors, where the virus is more easily transmitted. Parson is also expected to preside over a massive statewide vaccination campaign in the coming year — an enormous logistical project that will require intense coordination among officials.
"The last eight, nine months of my career have been the toughest time in my career ... dealing with all the issues I've had to deal with in the state of Missouri," Parson told a rally in Springfield on Friday.
The governor and first lady Teresa Parson both contracted COVID-19 in September, temporarily upending the race and drawing more attention to the administration's pandemic response. Both quickly recovered and the campaign moved on.
Parson told supporters last week the pandemic came with no playbook and called for common-sense decisions. He said he relied most on his Christian faith and "your freedom" in steering the state.
"You're under a tremendous amount of pressure to do a lot of things, 'shut the state down, shut the state down,'" Parson said in Springfield. "Let me tell you, I am not going to shut the state of Missouri down. I'll tell you that right now."
He has largely left decisions on restrictions up to cities and counties. The approach continues to frustrate health officials, Democrats and others who say a statewide mask mandate would help slow the spread of the virus.
Galloway, 38, hammered Parson over his virus response. She argued that electing him would simply preserve the status quo.
"When I launched this campaign for governor, I never could have imagined the crisis that we would be facing in 2020. But I knew even then that Missouri's families needed a change and I am even more certain of it now," Galloway said in the final days of the campaign. "The most important thing the next governor will have to do is contain the spread of this virus and rebuild Missouri's economy."
Thomas Louzader, a 26-year-old Kansas City voter, said Parson didn't appear to care about the virus. He voiced support for a statewide mask mandate.
"It's just apparent from the way he wears the mask to catching it," Louzader said. "It's just a smaller, less-crazy version of what's going on in the White House."
But in the end, more voters opted for Parson's light-touch approach to restrictions. James Harris, a Jefferson City-based Republican consultant with ties to Parson, said the governor understood a one-size solution, such as a mask mandate, "is not Missouri."
"I think that understanding of the state was a very important thing that made voters feel better about the direction of the state, what the state was doing to combat it and the governor's leadership," Harris said.
Victoria Anderson, 41, said she had been on the fence about who to vote for, but she ultimately cast her ballet for Parson. Anderson, a law student at the University of Missouri — Kansas City, said while some people want Parson to take stronger stances during the pandemic, she appreciated how he left restrictions a "little more lenient."
"Because every city in the state was not impacted the exact same way," she said, "so I'm glad he didn't impose any blanket restrictions that would impact businesses even more so, and working families even more so, than what was already impacted."
Parson and his allies also went on the offensive against Galloway, attacking her over law and order issues. Parson and Republicans highlighted Galloway's connections to Democrats who voiced support for defunding the police, though she has repeatedly said she doesn't support defunding.
Parson's rhetoric at times reflected attacks by President Donald Trump on other Democrats. "He's kind of drafting on Trump's air," said Daniel Ponder, a political science professor at Drury University in Springfield.
But violent crime drew special attention in Missouri this year as Kansas City and St. Louis dealt with a surge in homicides.
Parson called a special session over the summer to address violent crime that ended weeks later with lawmakers approving just two of seven proposals put forward by the governor. Galloway had said Parson failed to act to fight crime in his first two years as governor.
Parson held a modest to significant lead over Galloway in public surveys throughout the race, demonstrating the uphill climb Democrats face in statewide contests. Voters elected Parson lieutenant governor by a nearly 11 point margin in 2016 as Trump won the state by nearly 19 points. Galloway won her 2018 race by a roughly 6 point margin.
Ponder said Democrats needed to secure massive numbers of votes in the cities. Republicans made a concerted effort to turn out voters in suburban areas and quickly growing areas, including southwest Missouri, he said.
The candidates crisscrossed the state over the past week, with their travel schedules providing clues as to where they saw the best potential to secure votes. Galloway made repeated stops in Kansas City and St. Louis as Parson focused on smaller cities in more rural and suburban areas, such as Lee's Summit. Some cities, including Rolla and Cape Girardeau, received attention from both campaigns.
Jeff Smith, a former Democratic state senator from St. Louis, said Galloway had run a good campaign. "I think it's Missouri and there's real headwinds for statewide Democrats," he said.
Galloway, a former Boone County treasurer, was appointed state auditor in 2015 by Gov. Jay Nixon following the suicide of Auditor Tom Schweich and went on to win election in 2018. A rising star among Missouri Democrats, Galloway was the only competitive candidate in the Democratic primary for governor, winning nearly 85% of the vote.
Galloway was the first Republican or Democratic woman nominated for governor since Democrat Claire McCaskill ran unsuccessfully against Republican Matt Blunt in 2004.
Her term as auditor expires in early 2023.
