Jay Nixon pays visit to Sedalia

Restoring health care services to uninsured Missourians would be the first priority if voters send Democrat Jay Nixon to the governor’s mansion next year.

The four-term state attorney general, and former state senator, met with about 60 central Missouri Democrats at Patricia’s Restaurant on Saturday afternoon. Nixon, accompanied by his wife, Georganne, stopped in Sedalia as part of a day of campaigning through the region. Other events were also planned during the day in Richmond and Harrisonville. During remarks to the crowd, Nixon blasted Republican Gov. Matt Blunt, who he said had “struck out” during his first three years as governor, and who he accused of “waging war against education.”

“This is the same guy that, as a candidate, stood on the stage and vowed not to cut health care to children. Since the cuts in 2005, we have added nearly 70,000 children to the rolls of the uninsured, while allowing a billion dollars of Missourians’ tax dollars to go to other states,” Nixon said.

Nixon was also critical of Blunt on funding for public schools and higher education.

“It is the job of the governor to help public schools, not to attack them,” Nixon said, citing Blunt’s support of taxpayer-supported school vouchers, and efforts by the governor in his first year in office to restrict local control of school districts.

Nixon said Blunt and Republicans in Jefferson City had altered the foundation formula for public schools, reducing the amount to fully fund education by $500 million.

“It’s a lot easier to say you voted to fully fund education if you reduce the amount going in,” Nixon said.

He also said that the governor had shifted the burden of college tuition off of the state and onto individuals, and that “fewer people are getting a chance to go to college.”

“No state can move forward with that kind of formula,” he said.

Nixon was introduced by Jim Mathewson, former 21st-district Democratic state senator, who was majority leader when Nixon was elected to the body in 1986. Mathewson called the Nixons “good friends and good people,” and offered praise of Nixon’s ability to build bipartisan support of legislation.

“Jay hit the senate at a dead run. He was aggressive and had good ideas and the leadership took notice of that pretty quickly,” Mathewson said.

Mathewson said he and Nixon had worked together on the A-Plus Schools program, which provides free community college tuition to qualifying students, and on the Missouri Property Tax Credit Claim, or “Circuit Breaker,” program which helps elderly Missourians with property tax assistance.

“He’s been a good attorney general, and he’s a great candidate. It is very rare in Missouri, especially amongst Democrats, that you have a person running for governor this early who is the party’s clear contender. He has a lot of people behind him and I think he will make an outstanding governor,” Mathewson said.