3 days Ago By By Kurt Erickson St. Louis Post-Dispatch
JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri’s current and future chief executives are in Florida this week as part of a post-election meeting of the Republican Governors Association. For Gov. Mike Parson, the trip to Marco Island on the Gulf of Mexico marks a closure after six years at the helm of state government.
He is term-limited and will leave office in January. His successor, Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe, will be among eight recently elected governors attending their first RGA event.
In the wake of the Nov. 5 election, Republicans control 27 governorships nationwide. Republicans also have lost two governors to President-elect Donald Trump’s future administration.
Doug Burgum of North Dakota and Kristi Noem of South Dakota are poised to serve in the Trump Cabinet. The meetings among Republicans come as Democratic governors have vowed to push back against Trump on issues ranging from mass deportations to loosening environmental regulations. The group, Governors Safeguarding Democracy, is led by Govs.
JB Pritzker of Illinois and Jared Polis of Colorado. Kehoe, a former businessman who has been lieutenant governor since 2018, beat Springfield Democrat Crystal Quade by a 59-39 margin. Unlike Parson, Kehoe did not rely on the RGA for funding in the campaign.
In 2020, the RGA directed $11 million to the Uniting Missouri political action committee, which raises money on behalf of Parson. In 2016, the group spent at least $13 million on Eric Greitens’ winning bid for governor, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission. Greitens resigned in 2018 amid political scandals.
Kehoe is in the midst of a transition period and began revealing his picks to run state government on Monday. He announced he is keeping Ken Zellers as commissioner of the Office of Administration, where he has served under Parson since 2021. “Commissioner Zellers brings years of valuable leadership experience to the Office of Administration and has more than proved his commitment to making state government more efficient and effective,” Kehoe said.
“Ken and I share business backgrounds, and I have full confidence that he will continue to be a great partner in providing great service to the people of Missouri.” The Office of Administration serves as the administrative and managerial arm of state government. Before joining state government, Zellers held numerous senior roles at Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Kehoe also plans to keep budget director Dan Haug, who has served in the post since 2015, covering three governors. Kehoe spokeswoman Gabby Picard said the governor-elect’s schedule in Florida this week includes meetings and sessions with fellow GOP governors and governors-elect. He is scheduled to be sworn into office Jan.
13. Parson left for the event Monday and will return Wednesday. His public schedule noted that the trip is privately funded.
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