Missouri lawmaker expelled from Democratic caucus announces run for governor

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri lawmaker is running for governor after she was kicked out of the state House Democratic caucus for her ties to a man cited by the Anti-Defamation League as a Holocaust denier.

Suburban St. Louis state Rep. Sarah Unsicker announced her bid to replace outgoing Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Monday in Washington, D.C. Parson is prohibited by term limits from running for another term.

In Missouri, where no Democrats hold statewide elected office, the GOP is favored to hold onto the governorship.

Support from Unsicker’s Democratic colleagues floundered last year after she posted photos on social media showing her at a restaurant with the man who the Anti-Defamation League cites as having denied the Holocaust.

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House Democrats voted to kick her out of their caucus in December.

In a copy of her campaign speech posted to her website, Unsicker, first elected in 2016, said government “forms the foundation upon which the structure of society is built.”

“In Missouri, the cracks in that foundation have gotten so bad that the society built on top is no longer stable,” she said. “Keeping our house in order by protecting our democracy is a sacred obligation. And I have been punished by my own party for pointing out the cracks in that foundation.”

House Democratic Minority Leader Crystal Quade, who launched her own campaign for governor in July, last month praised Unsicker’s past work in the Missouri Legislature as “a strong advocate for society’s vulnerable, especially children.”

“Recently, however, she has chosen to use social media to promote individuals who espouse baseless conspiracies and racist and anti-Semitic ideologies that are antithetical to the values of inclusiveness, tolerance and respect House Democrats are dedicated to upholding,” Quade said in a statement.

A spokesman for Quade’s gubernatorial campaign declined to comment Tuesday on Unsicker’s entrance into the race.

Unsicker was previously running as a Democrat for attorney general. She dropped out of that race last month.

It is unclear whether Unsicker plans to run for governor as a Democrat.

In Missouri, political parties have the option to deny candidates from running under their banner. The state Democratic Party’s spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Official candidate filing in Missouri begins Feb. 27.

Other gubernatorial candidates include Springfield businessman Mike Hamra, a Democrat, and Republicans Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and state Sen. Bill Eigel.