KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Four candidates for governor of Missouri debated Friday afternoon on topics ranging from COVID-19 to violent crime.
Republican Mike Parson, Democrat Nicole Galloway, Libertarian Rik Combs and Green Party candidate Jerome Bauer took the stage at the Missouri Theatre in Columbia, Missouri.
The debate was delayed from Sept. 25 after Gov. Parson and first lady Teresa Parson tested positive for COVID-19 and were required to quarantine.
Much of the debate focused on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the economy and education.
Other topics included violent crime in the state’s urban areas as well as the candidates’ views on gun control, defunding the police and Amendment 3.
Watch the debate below.
COVID-19
After opening remarks, Galloway opened the debate with her stance on the state’s response to COVID-19. She said she believes Missouri needs a “complete reset” that uses science-backed, data-proven ways to control the virus.
Galloway said she would support a statewide mask mandate, saying it is a proven way to prevent the spread of coronavirus. She also called masks Missouri’s “ticket to freedom,” emphasizing that the more people who wear them, the more the state can safely reopen.
Parson said the focus should remain on the economy and reopening schools. Combs agreed, saying he believes the state should fully open and herd immunity would control the spread of the virus.
Bauer used his time to stress the importance of masks, encouraging Missourians to set a good example and wear them.
That said, Bauer said the state’s direction should be balanced with localities’ efforts and should be responsive to new information about the virus.
Parson agreed with a balanced approach, saying local officials should have input on COVID-19 policies and that it’s not ideal for one person to make decisions for a diverse state made up of rural and urban areas.
“We went from 2,000 tests a week to over 125,000. Today, in a couple of weeks, we’ll have testing in every school in the state of Missouri. Hospitals — we can build them in 10 or 11 days. The Missouri Hospital Association has been part of this planning every day,” Parson said.
Combs, who throughout the debate stated he was for less state and federal control, said the governor should set an example for the state’s residents when it comes to masks and shutdowns, and that leaving things up to local governments is an abdication of the office’s duties.
ECONOMY
In terms of the economic impact of the pandemic, Combs said he believes the downturn could be reversed with less reliance on government and moving toward a free enterprise system with fewer regulations and rules for business.
Bauer said a universal basic income and health care for all would improve the state’s economy.
Galloway was the only candidate to say her first step would be to contain the spread of the virus and said an economic uptick would then follow. She did say she would focus on more effectively allocating the state’s resources, claiming hundreds of thousands of CARES Act dollars are currently stuck at the state level.
Parson noted Missouri ranks 12th in the nation for getting back to work and even brought new businesses to the state during the pandemic, mentioning the Chewy location in Belton specifically.
The current governor said the economy has to be balanced among the state’s other needs, which include containing the virus and reopening schools.
SCHOOLS AND COVID-19
On schools, Parson said decisions aren’t “as easy as shutting things off and going home and putting the covers over your head.”
Rather, he said the state has to consider kids who rely on free and reduced lunches and kids with disabilities for whom virtual learning may not work.
Galloway said she believes kids getting back to schools is vital for children as well as the economy, and as governor she would enact a plan to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Combs said he thinks virtual and online learning will prove to be a failure and schools should be open.
Bauer urged Missourians to keep the pandemic in perspective as a period that won’t last forever.
During this time, Bauer said, “it’s important to err on the side of safety when our children’s health is at stake.”
Bauer, who said he had lost his vision, said there should be special focus on kids with unique needs, as well as equal access to computer equipment and broadband internet for more effective virtual learning.
CRIME
Parson was confident in his answer to the growing crime problem in Missouri’s urban areas.
As a 22-year law enforcement veteran, Parson said he believes there’s a need for more officers to fight violent crime and help deescalate situations.
“I don’t think there’s any governor probably took more interest in this simply because I have 22 years of law enforcement experience and been in the urban areas more than I have in two and a half years working with people like Better Family Life to find solutions on the street,” Parson said.
Bauer, however, said more officers would result in over-policing and would only escalate situations.
Galloway said she supports common sense gun laws to fight crime.
“As a mom, nothing is more important than the safety of our communities which is why I have introduced a comprehensive plan to get to the root causes of crime, the lack of economic opportunity, disinvestment in healthcare that’s been happening for a long time,” Galloway said.
The current state auditor said she does not support defunding the police, a point which Parson repeatedly challenged her on throughout the rest of the debate.
Combs’ solution to violent crime involves creating a task force to fight the “drug cartels” and gangs he said are active in Kansas City and St. Louis.
AMENDMENT 3
Both Galloway and Bauer said they supported Clean Missouri but do not support Amendment 3, which would put legislative redistricting in the hands of a bipartisan committee rather than a nonpartisan demographer and change the criteria for drawing district maps, as well as existing campaign contribution limits.
Bauer said it would be better for the state to first respect the voters’ 2018 decision to pass Clean Missouri and implement it before proposing changes.
Combs said Amendment 3 is a “tough call” and he is leaning toward voting yes, though could be “compelled” to vote no.
On one hand, Combs said, Clean Missouri was wrong from the start because it included so many actions in the initiative. On the other hand, Combs said the people of Missouri “resoundingly” voted for it.
Parson agreed with Combs about the load of new measures Clean Missouri included and said it wasn’t a bad thing that Missouri voters would get a second chance to review the changes on the November ballot.
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