Controlling crime, expanding education options and cutting taxes will be the top priorities for Missouri, new Gov. Mike Kehoe said in his inauguration speech.

The brief speech, delivered before a crowd gathered on a cold, sunny day outside the Missouri Capitol, also traced the Republican’s journey from a north St. Louis home led by a single mother to the top political job in the state.

Instead of lamenting that she could not give her children the things richer families enjoyed, Kehoe said, she told them to pray and work harder.

“That’s been the guiding principle of my life,” Kehoe said Monday, after the oath of office was administered by former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt. “Whenever we saw something that needed to be done, we didn’t complain. We prayed hard, and we worked hard.”

Other state officeholders sworn in Monday are David Wasinger, lieutenant governor, Denny Hoskins, secretary of state, Vivek Malek, state treasurer, and Andrew Bailey, attorney general. All are Republicans.

Kehoe, who will turn 63 on Friday, built a successful car dealership in Jefferson City before being appointed to the state Highways and Transportation Commission in 2005 by then-Gov. Matt Blunt. He made his first bid for public office with a run for the state Senate in 2010. The Republican was appointed to replace Mike Parson as lieutenant governor in 2018 after Parson was elevated to the governor’s office following the resignation of Eric Greitens.

“My life—growing up in the inner city, moving to a small town, building businesses, and operating a ranch—these experiences have taught me one thing: Missourians are more alike than we are different,” Kehoe said.

Kehoe won the governorship by prevailing in a hotly contested Republican primary in August and then easily defeating Democratic nominee Crystal Quade in November.

Monday’s speech didn’t offer many specifics on issues Kehoe said he wanted to address. During his campaign, he said he would address crime and cut taxes, including working to repeal the state income tax, during his four years in office.

Crime, Kehoe said, leaves people in fear and cuts down on productivity. He promised to issue executive orders later in the day to address specific issues facing law enforcement.

Mike Kehoe says he’s the only Missouri GOP gubernatorial candidate interested in governing

He also said he wanted to beef up police agencies.

“In the coming weeks, months and years,” he said, “my administration will be relentless in our pursuit to make Missouri a place where it’s easier to be a cop than a criminal.” 

On education, Kehoe indicated he wanted to build on legislation that last year expanded a tax credit used for private schools and allowed for establishment of a charter school in Boone County, as well as increasing base teacher pay.

“Securing Missouri’s future means strengthening public education and expanding school choice

so that every single student has the opportunity to get a world class education,” Kehoe said.

While Kehoe campaigned to eliminate the income tax, promising to start with a tax cut early in his administration, he did not endorse any of the proposals introduced so far in this year’s session as his preferred plan.

Several Republican members of the state Senate, for example, have filed bills to replace Missouri’s progressive income tax with a flat tax of 4%. Currently, Missourians pay 4.7% tax on the portion of their taxable income exceeding $8,900. 

“My administration will focus on reducing taxes and cutting regulations, so families keep more of their own money,” Kehoe said, “and so job creators want to come here, expand here and hire more hard-working Missourians.” 

Kehoe is the first sitting lieutenant governor to win the state’s top job since Democrat Mel Carnahan in 1993. Kehoe presided over the Senate for the final time a few hours before his noon inauguration and received a standing ovation when Senate Majority Leader Tony Luetkemeyer spoke of his 14 years as a senator and lieutenant governor.

“Our lieutenant governor has shown us how the Senate can benefit the leadership that prioritizes results over rhetoric,” Luetkemeyer said. “He’s a person focused on building bridges rather than burning them down.”

In his inaugural speech, Kehoe said he wanted to work for solutions and would remain open to proposals regardless of their source.

“This is my promise to you,” Kehoe said. “I will talk to anyone, work with anyone, and root for anyone who has a good idea to make our state safer, stronger, and better.”