Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe publicly opposed out-of-state funding while simultaneously reportedly benefiting from it, according to new reports. The discrepancy did not sit well with Missouri voters, as many viewed the governor as having double standards on the issue.
ProPublica reported that while Governor Mike Kehoe has opposed out-of-state funding for constitutional amendments through Amendment 4, his Amendment 5 campaign has received support from outside Missouri. Amendment 5 is a contentious proposal that aims to eliminate the income tax in Missouri.
If passed, Missouri’s Amendment 4 would bar constitutional amendments from receiving “foreign contributions.” However, at the same time, Amendment 5 has received “dark money from Delaware,” the outlet reported. The Missouri Promise PAC received $1.9 million from a nonprofit with a nearly identical name, Missouri Promise Inc. The identities of the donors have not been disclosed.
At the time of the report, the governor had declined to comment officially on the matter, ProPublica reported.
Missouri Residents Slam Mike Kehoe
The new reports sparked a debate on Reddit’s r/Missouri, where many users criticized the governor over what they saw as hypocrisy. One of them said, “What, corruption and different rules for thee? What a shocker. Kehoe is such a predictable party tool.”
Others slammed the Republican Party, saying, “He’s a Republican. Republicans are, have always been, and will always be, ‘Rules for thee, not for me.’ Integrity is an anathema to the party and its ideology.”
Some folks appeared unconcerned about Amendment 5, however, because they did not believe it would actually pass: “The governor only thinks that it will be a higher percentage turnout of republican voters. I expect that these amendments combined with a high-profile Democratic primary in St. Louis will lead to a higher than normal turnout. I expect both of these amendments to fail spectacularly.”
One seemingly worried user asked: “When can we get rid of this man?” Someone responded: “Unfortunately, he said he’s running for 2028, really hoping we don’t make this mistake again,” indicating that it’s possible that Mike Kehoe could stay in power for a while.
While it is still uncertain how this information may affect Kehoe’s popularity or the chances of Amendments 4 and 5 succeeding, it appears that many Missourians see the governor’s position as a double standard.
