JEFFERSON CITY聽鈥 Ahead in the money race and in the polls in the battle to become Missouri鈥檚 next governor, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe has begun vetting potential picks to serve in his administration.
Among those being interviewed for a role in the Republican鈥檚 would-be cabinet are some of Gov. Mike Parson鈥檚 agency heads, as well as others from outside government.
Missouri Department of Revenue Director Wayne Wallingford, whom Parson appointed in 2021, told the Post-Dispatch Wednesday that he was among a parade of potential picks fielding questions from Kehoe chief of staff Adam Gresham in recent weeks.
Campaign spokeswoman Gabby Picard did not directly address the interview process, saying the Kehoe campaign is focused on traveling the state as he takes on Democrat House Minority Leader Crystal Quade of Springfield.
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鈥淎ny final decisions on Kehoe administration positions will be determined during the transition period following a successful election. Kehoe will be looking for leaders who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work with him to build a safer, stronger, more prosperous Missouri,鈥 Picard said.
Quade鈥檚 campaign blasted Kehoe鈥檚 team, saying he鈥檚 jumping the gun before the election.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a slap in the face to voters that Mike Kehoe is so sure of himself that he鈥檚 interviewing current department directors but tells voters he 鈥榳on鈥檛 put the cart before the horse鈥 and tell voters what any of his plans are on issues like taxes and crime,鈥 said Quade spokesman Andrew Storey.
A survey of 753 likely general election voters Oct. 2-3 by Remington Research showed Kehoe with support from 51% of those polled, while Quade had 41%. Undecided voters made up 7% of the survey.
Typically, newly elected governors use the period between Election Day and the inauguration in January to assemble their teams. They are given an office and a nominal budget to use for the transition process.
At stake are jobs with six-figure salaries ranging from overseeing the state鈥檚 sprawling prison system to regulating the state鈥檚 insurance industry.聽
The last time that process was in place was after the 2016 election, when former Gov. Eric Greitens plotted out his administration in an office in a state office building near the Capitol.
Parson didn鈥檛 have that opportunity because he took over mid-term when Greitens resigned amid a scandal. Parson kept many of the Greitens-era department heads in his cabinet.
The interview of Wallingford, 78, who served in the Senate with Kehoe, signals Kehoe is willing to keep some of the Parson team intact.
That, said the spokesman for Quade, means that Kehoe represents an extension of the Parson administration, which has been grappling with lengthy waiting times for state services, backlogged payments to child care providers and delays in distributing food aid to low-income children.
鈥淚t鈥檚 disappointing but unsurprising Mike Kehoe wants to keep the status quo that has been failing Missourians time and time again,鈥 Storey said.
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