As he recovered from a bout of COVID-19, Gov. Mike Parson said he was ready to get back to the campaign trail.
“I’ve worked hard all my life,” he said. “Whatever it takes to get the job done in 30 days — I’ll tell you it’ll be an intense schedule from now until November. You’ll see a lot of us around the state of Missouri.”
Parson joined Sunday’s episode of “This Week in Missouri Politics” remotely from the Governor’s Mansion to discuss his and the first lady’s experience with COVID-19. The couple had been isolating apart since testing positive nearly two weeks before. Parson said they were recovering well and that they had prepared for the possibility.
“We were prepared for that,” Parson said. “We pretty well knew what the outcome would be. And then once I tested positive, which was no surprise after she did, we took action right away. We listened to the doctors who gave us advice, she went back to Bolivar, I stayed here and did my work schedule. We’re both very thankful; we’re blessed so many good people across the state sent us their well-wishes and prayers.”
Parson said he had continued to work in isolation with conference calls and virtual meetings making up much of his schedule.
Parson also discussed schools, local control, the media’s response to his diagnosis, and last week’s presidential debate on this week’s episode.
Presidential debate and COVID-19
The Missouri Times editor Kaitlyn Schallhorn, the Missouri Farm Bureau’s Eric Bohl, Brian Grace of the Nexus Group, and Rep. Brad Pollitt joined this week’s panel from the grounds of the Carnahan Memorial Garden to discuss the presidential debate and how it could impact Missouri elections.
“It was great theater,” Grace said. “I think it might have energized both bases, and it probably hurt Republicans in suburban districts. That’s the part of the state and the country where Donald Trump is suffering the most, and I don’t think those voters would have reacted well to his behavior in the debate.”
The panel also covered the state’s COVID-19 response, schools reopening, and local control.
“It doesn’t help that there’s the White House reports that come out … and they highlight Missouri as being in a red zone. We’ve got about 50 counties in Missouri that are considered red and another 20 that are yellow,” Schallhorn said.
Watch the full episode of “This Week in Missouri Politics” below.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For up-to-date information on coronavirus, check with the CDC and DHSS.
Cameron Gerber studied journalism at Lincoln University. Prior to Lincoln, he earned an associate’s degree from State Fair Community College. Cameron is a native of Eldon, Missouri.
Contact Cameron at cameron@themissouritimes.com.
