More than the defeats for Democratic candidates running yesterday, it was a blue win that shocked me…
Nicole Galloway earned a CPA and fraud investigator certification. She ran the Auditor’s office through a tumultuous time after the death of her predecessor, and, continued a bi-partisan tradition of demanding accountability.
Her opponent, Saundra McDowell, is a train wreck. The past decade she ran up debts she couldn’t pay and – based on tax and other official records – didn’t even live in this state the requisite ten years the Missouri Constitution demands for Auditor candidates.
On top of that, Galloway raised $27 to every buck McDowell found.
(Honesty note: I contributed several hundred dollars to Galloway’s campaign.)
Well, McDowell only lost by one vote of every 17. Yes, a horrible candidate got 1,060,066 votes to Nicole Galloway’s 1,197,020. [ https://enr.sos.mo.gov/ ]
Why?
This is Missouri. In 2018, as in 2016, this state cleaves along predictable lines. Who – or what – you are means less than having an “R” behind your name.
For example, while in St. Louis County Galloway collected 65% of the Auditor vote, in Polk County, Galloway got just 36% and Cape Girardeau County gave her 29½%.
St. Charles County ought to be one of those comfortable suburban areas turning away from Trump’s nasty “R” politics. Instead, there Galloway only received 31 more votes than McDowell out of 162,000+ cast!
This being Missouri, attacking Democratic candidates is considered a good thing. The House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc. spent at least $50,000 going after District 65 (northeast St. Charles Co.) candidate Bill Otto during the last weeks of the campaign. [MEC C091068] Adrian Plank, the Democrat running against Chuck Bayse in District 47 (Columbia) had HRCC throwing $187,545 against him on one day!
(Not all the HRCC’s bets paid-off. They spent better than $100,000 attacking Paula Brown but she won District 70 – Chesterfield, Hazelwood & St. Charles – by 107 votes!)
Don’t worry. HRCC never emptied its pockets. Rex Sinquefield alone gave them $300,000 this year. Their total revenue went north of $3.8 million this election cycle.
And, that’s the reality few elected GOPers want to face. A small number of deep pocketed, nationalistic, anti-union, reactionary and just plain mean people own the Republican Party in Missouri. Thanks to propaganda and blind obedience Joseph Goebbels would have loved, Republican office holders and candidates deceive voters into believing that they stand for “traditional values.” They are pro-life, pro-gun and, anti-tax to the point of genuflecting before ‘no new taxes, ever’ Grover Norquist…even when critical needs are unmet. In reality, they do what the owners demand.
Doubt that?
The accidental governor toured the state pushing Proposition D, the fuel tax increase powerful interests demanded. Many of his own party in the legislature voted against putting the proposal on the ballot, they didn’t vote on it at all, or, they voted for the bill but proclaimed that they’d be against the tax increase this past Tuesday. Still, the measure made it to that crowded November ballot.
Surprise! Despite Governor Mike Parson’s support the tax failed, even in his neighborhood, Polk County. [ http://bolivarmonews.com/election/election-results-stephens-crawford-retain-seats/article_3c066c8a-e227-11e8-9550-afc3a803a70e.html ]
Missouri used to stand in the middle of America, mostly moderate but open to a few progressive ideas here in the Show Me State.
Now we’re the “No Way State,” clinging to dead-end ideology and shadow power brokers as we wither.
That didn’t surprise me last night.
Glenn