Missouri governor’s tax-cut measure funded by undisclosed money amid out-of-state spending crackdown
Critics label the discrepancy hypocritical as the state prepares for a low-turnout August primary where two amendments on ballot access and taxation will be decided.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe is facing accusations of hypocrisy after supporting a constitutional amendment designed to restrict citizen-led ballot initiatives, while his own tax-cut measure relies on significant funding from a group that does not disclose its donors.
Kehoe has argued that Amendment 4 is necessary to protect the state constitution from "out-of-state special interests" who use ballot initiatives to bypass the Republican-controlled legislature. The amendment, scheduled for the August primary, would require citizen-led proposals to win in every congressional district in addition to securing a statewide majority.
However, Kehoe’s own initiative, Amendment 5, which would eliminate the state income tax, has received $1.9 million from Missouri Promise Inc., a Delaware nonprofit. Neither the nonprofit nor its associated political action committee discloses the identities or locations of the donors financing the campaign.
Critics, including Mark Jones of the Missouri National Education Association and Professor Ken Warren of Saint Louis University, have highlighted the contradiction in Kehoe’s stance. They note that out-of-state money is common in US politics and that transparency is essential for voters, regardless of whether the funds originate within or outside Missouri.
The two amendments are scheduled for the August primary, a low-turnout election likely to favour Republican-leaning voters, separating them from the November general election where abortion rights are expected to be a major issue.
