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Release: Missouri Chamber PAC endorses pro-jobs legislative candidates in the 2016 General Election 

JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Chamber PAC today announced support for 52 state legislative candidates in the 2016 General Election.

Job creation is key to Missouri’s future. Now, more than ever, we need to elect lawmakers who understand that fact and will take action to protect Missouri’s economy,” said Dan Mehan, Missouri Chamber president and CEO. “Our endorsed candidates meet the standards employers should demand from the individuals they elect to office.”

The Missouri Chamber PAC goes through a rigorous and deliberative candidate endorsement selection process, which includes analysis of candidate positions on key economic issues and incumbent candidate vote ratings. In the 2016 General Election, the Missouri Chamber PAC will only endorse candidates in competitive races. Survey results and incumbent candidate voting records can be found on the Missouri Chamber PAC’s Election Center: www.election.mochamber.com.

A 2015 survey of 1,000 Missouri CEOs conducted by Gallup as a part of the Missouri Chamber’s strategic plan, Missouri 2030, found that business leaders have serious concerns about elected officials’ commitment to growing our economy. Only 20 percent of those surveyed believed that politicians are committed to improving Missouri’s business climate. That number was even lower, just 15 percent, among small businesses with 20 or fewer employees.

“We need to build back employers’ confidence in our elected officials by supporting candidates that will address difficult problems head on – not hide their heads in the sand,” Mehan said. “These issues include finding a long-term solution to our crumbling transportation system, addressing our aging utility infrastructure, improving Missouri’s legal climate and supporting effective workforce and labor policy. Employers are tired of impasse. Our endorsed candidates are committed to addressing these needs.”

Today’s endorsement announcement is a part of a larger Missouri Chamber PAC effort to elect pro-jobs, pro-business candidates that support private sector job creation and economic growth. Each election, the Missouri Chamber PAC provides voter education resources and invests in candidate campaigns and independent expenditures in tight political races.

Below is the full list of Missouri Chamber PAC endorsed candidates:

ENDORSEMENTS FOR SENATE

District 1 – Randy Jotte

District 15 – Rep. Andrew Koenig

District 17 – Sen. Ryan Silvey

District 19 – Rep. Caleb Rowden

District 21 – Rep. Denny Hoskins

District 25 – Sen. Doug Libla

District 27 – Sen. Wayne Wallingford

District 31 – Sen. Ed Emery

ENDORSEMENTS FOR HOUSE

District 5 – Rep. Lindell Shumake

District 14 – Rep. Kevin Corlew

District 17 – Mary Hill

District 33 – Rep. Donna Pfautsch

District 38 – Rep. T.J. Berry

District 43 – Rep. Jay Houghton

District 44 – Cheri Toalson Reisch

District 46 – Don Waterman

District 47 – Rep. Chuck Basye

District 51 – Rep. Dean Dohrman

District 54 – Dan Houx

District 57 – Rep. Wanda Brown

District 58 – Rep. David Wood

District 61 – Rep. Justin Alferman

District 63 – Rep. Bryan Spencer

District 64 – Rep. Robert Cornejo

District 70 – Mark Matthiesen

District 78 – Erik Shelquist

District 90 – Mark Milton

District 91 – Greg Mueller

District 93 – Landry Sorbel

District 94 – Rep. Cloria Brown

District 95 – Rep. Marsha Haefner

District 98 – Rep. Shamed Dogan

District 99 – Jean Evans

District 103 – Rep. John Wiemann

District 105 – Phillip Christofanelli

District 106 – Rep. Chrissy Sommer

District 107 – Nick Schroer

District 108 – Rep. Justin Hill

District 111 – Rep. Shane Roden

District 112 – Rep. Rob Vescovo

District 113 – Rep. Dan Shaul

District 130 – Rep. Jeff Messenger

District 131 – Rep. Sonya Anderson

District 132 – Thomas Quinn

District 133 – Curtis Trent

District 135 – Steve Helms

District 136 – Rep. Kevin Austin

District 140 – Rep. Lynn Morris

District 145 – Rick Francis

District 147 – Rep. Kathy Swan

District 149 – Rep. Don Rone

District 153 – Rep. Steve Cookson