KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri’s two largest newspapers today endorsed Jason Kander to be Missouri’s next Secretary of State, in part because Missourians can “expect his work as secretary of state to be untainted by politics or favoritism.”
The Kansas City Star and St. Louis Post-Dispatch both urged Missourians to cast a ballot for Jason Kander based on his commitment to public service and his vision for the office. The papers faulted Shane Schoeller for getting a no-bid family fee office while a legislator and for pushing legislation that would make it impossible for military voters overseas to mail in an absentee ballot.
The Kansas City Star summed up the race by saying, “The choice in this race is clear. Kander has fought for cleaner and more accessible government. Schoeller has worked to create barriers for others while using a flawed system to benefit himself.”
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch recommended Kander because “Mr. Kander, a veteran and an attorney, has the intellectual capacity and bipartisan spirit it takes to serve as the state’s top election official. Missourians can trust that Mr. Kander won’t be owned by one, very wealthy donor. He’ll protect the right to vote, not auction it to the highest bidder.”
“I’m thrilled to receive the endorsement of our state’s largest newspapers,” Kander said. “Throughout my career in the Army and the legislature, I’ve strived to serve with honor and integrity. The next Secretary of State needs to be someone who works for Missouri families, instead of padding the pockets of his own.”
Last week the Columbia Daily Tribune endorsed Jason Kander in part because of his opposition to legislation sponsored by Shane Schoeller that would have prohibited absentee voting by mail, making it virtually impossible for soldiers stationed overseas to vote. The endorsement noted, “Kander wants to expand early and absentee voting. Republican efforts to prohibit absentee voting by mail would interfere particularly with military and other voters temporarily stationed outside their usual residential districts.”
