Missouri Rep. Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, launched her run for governor in a video message released this morning.
The House Minority Leader and District 132 representative was first elected in 2016.
In his campaign videoQuade shared his intention to restore abortion rights and touted his support in the House to stop China and Russia from buying up Missouri farmland.
The only Democrat in the race, Quade is running to succeed Gov. Mike Parson, who cannot run again because of term limits. Republican candidates in the governor’s race include Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and state Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Charles County.
Quade is in his final term as a state representative covering downtown and parts of northeast Springfield due to term limits. In the last legislative session, he advocated for gun reform, child care and abortion rights and against a corporate tax cut, according to media reports.
Quade graduated from Missouri State University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in social work. She has served as a staff assistant and constituent services representative for the United States Senate, regional field director for the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks, and director of chapter services for the Springfield non-profit Care to Learn.
In announcing his candidacy, Quade said he grew up on food stamps and leftovers that his single mother brought home from work. He said he was the first person in his family to graduate from high school.
“When you come from nothing, you fight the odds your whole life,” he said in the video, then added, “I made a commitment to help families like the one I grew up in.”
