Paid Election Letter: The state of the 8th

Friends and neighbors, my name is Randi McCallian, and over the next four weeks, leading up to the Nov. 5 election, I will be writing about the day-to-day topics that come up most often when I meet folks in Southeast Missouri: the state of our 8th Congressional District, health care, jobs and the economy.

I’m the Democratic nominee for Missouri’s 8th Congressional District (28 counties of Southeast Missouri); it’s an honor to represent a growing group of people devoted to accountability and prosperity for our district.

Many folks ask why I’m running for the Democratic Party in one of the most Republican-voting regions in the country. I am running because you deserve a government that works for you, you deserve a representative who fights for people over corporations, and you deserve choices when you vote. Our district consistently has the lowest voter turnout in the state, and that’s largely because folks haven’t seen choices that are worth their time.

As I’ve traveled the dirt roads and single-lane bridges across this district, over gorgeous rolling hills, through forests dotted with lush cattle-grazed pastures, I’ve spoken to so many of you in our small rural communities. I’ve heard from Ste Genevieve County administrators about how a new state law has decreased their mining revenue and they don’t know how they will fund their police and local services. Ripley County expects its county courthouse to burn down at any moment, and they don’t have the funds to fix it or build a new one. I’ve heard from parents who had to travel to either Springfield or Cape Girardeau to get their newborn intensive care, something that can’t be found anywhere else in our district. I’ve talked with so many families about how hard it has become to make ends meet — to pay the bills, put food on the table, find affordable (quality) housing, and make health care appointments hours away.

My friends: You. Deserve. Better.

Our congressional district comes in last place in every measure of economic well-being. We have the least access to good paying jobs, we are losing access to health care faster than anyone else in the state, and we don’t have as much opportunity for small businesses, education and our growing children.

Why does the 8th look this way? The state of Missouri has had a super-majority of Republican representation for the past 22 years. It might be convenient to blame Democrats for a lot of our problems, but ask yourself: Who has been in the driver’s seat in Jefferson City for over two decades? How about your local county?

Despite being in the minority, Missouri Democrats have protected public funding for our public schools and raised teacher pay. They’ve expanded health insurance coverage to prevent maternal deaths after childbirth, negotiated to keep the aluminum smelting facility in Southeast Missouri open, and stopped the state government from making it harder for citizens to put issues on the ballot. Missouri’s Democrats are fighting hard for YOU.

Democrats at the federal level have lowered the price of insulin for seniors on Medicare, expanded Medicaid, negotiated down prescription drug prices, protected Social Security, and invested funding in rural high-speed internet (it’s your local officials who aren’t finishing the job). Democrats have worked to stop greedy corporations from driving up prices and contributing to the pain we’ve felt with inflation. Republicans have fought these actions at every step.

We work hard every day; we deserve a government that works hard for us. It’s time to elect representatives with a vision for our prosperity, and the will to get the hard work done.

RANDI McCALLIAN, Democratic nominee for Missouri’s 8th Congressional District, Newburg, Missouri

Paid for by the Committee to Elect Randi McCallian for MO-08, P.O.Box 281, Edgar Springs, MO 65462.