Koster officially files for Governor: calls for unity, cites accomplishments

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Last week, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster officially filed paperwork to run for governor. He posted his goals for Missouri online. It’s important reading for every union member and family, for their job and their future.)

I am running to unite our state and bring Missourians together for progress.

This campaign for governor is the challenge of a lifetime, and I’m going to fight every day to win this election with bold ideas and a passion for Missouri values. We must move beyond the partisanship in Jefferson City and recommit ourselves to responsible decision- making, cooperation, and progress.

But I can’t do it alone.

Thanks to the efforts of Missourians, we’re building an amazing grassroots organization that’s helped lead the fight for workers’ rights, public education, equality, life-saving research, women’s rights, and expanding healthcare.

If we’re going to win, we need Missourians to help lead this campaign forward.

RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR MISSOURI WORKERS

Together:

• We overhauled Missouri’s outdated domestic violence laws and added important legal protections for survivors.
• We’ve put the law on the side of the people of Missouri and have protected consumers from predatory and unethical businesses, leading to more than $51 million in restitution for victims.
• We’ve rooted out fraud and abuse in the state’s Medicaid program, returning more than $285 million to Missouri taxpayers.
• And we’ve protected victims of floods and the Joplin tornado from scammers to ensure when disaster strikes, communities can rebuild and come back stronger.

We’ve accomplished these things because we know the way to lead Missouri forward is together.

A DIFFERENT PURPOSE

My opponents are campaigning with a different purpose. They are seeking to divide Missourians in order to serve the interests of their powerful backers.

That’s not justice and that’s not the way forward.

We must resist the temptation to separate into opposing factions: Republicans and Democrats, rural and urban, black and white. Together, we must build a Missouri that keeps its promise to our schoolchildren and makes smart decisions about transportation and healthcare.

Together, we will win this election and build a Missouri that works for everyone — chip in $5 or more and become a founding member of this campaign. Go to chriskoster.com.

Thank you,

CHRIS KOSTER