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