Missouri Hospital Association Endorses Mike Kehoe for Governor

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Hospital Association today announced its endorsement of Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe in Missouri’s August gubernatorial primary election. Kehoe was selected for his track record — as a leader in the Missouri Senate and as lieutenant governor — of working with hospitals to improve health care and health for all Missourians.

“Mike Kehoe supports hospitals’ efforts to improve Missourians’ health and will provide stable leadership as hospitals treat patients and serve their communities,” said Jon D. Doolittle, MHA President and CEO. “To have real leadership in the Governor’s Mansion is incredibly important, and we have an opportunity to have a true servant leader give of himself.”

Kehoe has advocated for initiatives focused on improving health and strengthening the health care system since he served in the Senate. As lieutenant governor, he has been a champion for workforce development and health improvement — including supporting efforts to improve health outcomes for moms and healthy babies in the state.

“Health care is very important. Everybody expects to have access to it, but not everyone has access to it,” said Kehoe. “Rural health is one of the biggest issues we face. I think you need somebody who is not afraid to give solutions and try to figure it out. That’s what my forte is.

“If you follow the whole trail of what health care does, to a community and a state — economic development wise, workforce development wise, keeping people in their own communities — the return on investment is incredible,” Kehoe added.

The MHA Board of Trustees’ decision to endorse Kehoe was grounded in the stakes of the 2024 election. The policies advanced by the next governor will shape health care for years to come and have broad-reaching implications for patients, Missouri’s communities and the state’s hospitals.

Doolittle said Kehoe shares MHA’s values and has the record to prove it.

Doolittle highlighted Kehoe’s understanding of the incredible complexity hospitals must navigate to provide lifesaving care – some of the highest-stakes work that takes place in Missouri communities.

“We’re honored to partner with governments and other public service agencies to do that work for our patients,” Doolittle said. “We need serious, solutions-focused leadership to help us be ready to serve all day, every day. Mike Kehoe is serious about service and will lead Missouri in a stable way that inspires and enables others in their service to their neighbors and communities.”

Broadcast Resources:

Video/Audio: Kehoe on hospitals and health care

B-roll: Kehoe campaign, Missouri Capitol scenes

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Paid for by the Missouri Hospital Association, Jon D. Doolittle, President and CEO