KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This November, Missourians will be voting on a candidate for the state's highest office: governor.
House Minority Leader Crystal Quade wants to be Missouri’s first female governor.
"I'm a firm believer that when you have differing opinions and differing life experiences, you're going to come up with a better policy solution,” Quade said.
KSHB 41’s Elyse Schoenig sat down with Quade ahead of Election Day.
Abortion rights
One of Quade's top priorities is one that's central for most women: abortion rights.
"This is a deeply personal one," Quade said. "You know, I am a mom — I know what it's like to go through traumatic childbirth, and I am a survivor of abuse myself."
It’s why she wants voters to read and understand the abortion issue, Amendment 3, on the ballot.
"It gets politicians out of our doctor's offices, it allows women to have not only access to abortion care, but protects things like IVF and birth control," she said.
Public safety
As for public safety, Kansas City, Missouri, is the only major city in the country that doesn’t control its police department.
She said she wants to restore local control of police, and tighten gun restrictions.
"The number one thing that we're hearing about is juveniles having access to weapons and law enforcement getting involved, obtaining that weapon from them, and having to turn around and hand it right back to mom and dad because of the way that our laws are currently," Quade said.
Proposition A
Much of her campaign is also centered on education and jobs.
It’s why she’s in favor of Proposition A on the ballot.
Among other changes, it would increase minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. It also mandates paid sick leave.
"So many of our Missourians do not work in places where there is earned sick leave," Quade said. "Proposition A will guarantee that, for hours worked, folks will bank and earn sick leave, which is huge, truly a transformative change for people's lives."
And for an issue near and dear to Kansas Citians: She didn’t specify how she’d fight to keep the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri. But she did say recent history shouldn’t be repeated.
"The voters right here in Kansas City did not like the proposal that was given to them," she said of the failed April sales tax proposal. "They don't want to bail out billionaires on the back of taxpayers. But they also want to keep our teams."
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KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.