Former President Barack Obama officially threw his weight behind gubernatorial candidate Nicole Galloway and U.S. Congress hopeful Jill Schupp in Missouri’s upcoming contests.
“I’m proud to endorse these outstanding Democratic candidates who will work to get the virus under control, rebuild the economy and the middle class, and protect Americans’ health care and preexisting conditions protections,” Obama said when sharing his endorsement of the two Missouri Democrats along with dozens of other candidates across the country.
This was Obama’s second round of widespread endorsements. No one from Missouri was included on the initial list.
Both candidates took to social media to share the announcement, stressing the importance of this year’s election.
“[President Obama] knows the stakes of this election couldn’t be higher, at every level of the ticket,” Galloway, Missouri’s state auditor, said. “I’m proud to have earned his endorsement.”
Schupp, a state senator, said she was honored to receive Obama’s endorsement. She said he “knows people in [District 2] are ready for change and that this election is too important to sit out.”
Galloway was endorsed by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden last week, who praised her work in the Auditor’s Office and with Missouri families. She has received backing from EMILY’s List, the Brady PAC, and Planned Parenthood.
Galloway’s opponent, Republican incumbent Gov. Mike Parson, was endorsed by President Donald Trump. He has also received the backing of the Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Sheriffs United, and Missouri Fraternal Order of Police.
Schupp faces incumbent U.S. Congresswoman Ann Wagner for Missouri’s 2nd congressional district, having termed out of the Missouri Senate this year.
Wagner was endorsed by the Missouri Farm Bureau, which praised her work for St. Louis and the agriculture industry, in February.
A recent poll found Parson ahead with Missouri voters by 13 points. The same poll found a much closer presidential contest with 49 percent of those surveyed saying they would vote for Trump while Biden came in at 44 percent.
All three contests will come to a head on the Nov. 3 ballot.
