Springfield's Crystal Quade says she’s running for Missouri governor

KSMU | By Gregory Holman

Published July 10, 2023 at 5:12 AM CDT

Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a northside Springfield Democratic Party member, is shown in an undated photo.

Early on Sunday, a top Missouri Democrat from the Ozarks announced she’s running for governor.

Crystal Quade’s long-rumored run for Missouri governor went public on Sunday morning with a campaign video posted online.

"I’m running for governor for one simple reason," the northside Springfield Democrat says in the video. "Because parents who are working extra shitfs today have children who have to beat the odds tomorrow.”

Quade says she’s the first person in her family to graduate high school. She began serving in the statehouse in 2017 and became minority leader two years later. Term limits mean she can’t serve in the House after next year.

Republican Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft are running for their party’s nomination. The primary election will be held August 6 of next year.