Mike Hamra, a Springfield-native and the CEO of Hamra Enterprises, announced his candidacy Oct. 26 for the Missouri governorship as a Democrat.
In a campaign video announcing his bid in the 2024 elections, Hamra touted his business background and criticized the politics and partisanship in Jefferson City.
“I was born and raised here and Missouri is a good place, but it could be a great place,” Hamra told the Hauxeda. “And I think we have a great opportunity to help people that are still struggling to make ends meet and take care of their families and quite honestly, for all those reasons, that's why I'm running for governor.”
Hamra will challenge state Rep. Crystal Quade in the Democratic primary ahead of a general election where one of three Republican candidates — Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft or state Sen. Bill Eigel — will likely be heavily favored. Republican Gov. Mike Parson is unable to run for re-election due to term limits.
Hamra boasts business, legal background
A Springfield native, Hamra studied business at Kennesaw State University before going on to graduate from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law.
Prior to returning to Missouri in 2001, he practiced law in Washington, D.C., worked as the chief of staff and legal adviser for the Federal Communication Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and helped implement policies connecting schools, libraries and health care organizations as an appointee in the Clinton Administration.
In 2011, Hamra was named CEO of Springfield-based Hamra Enterprises, which was founded by his father Sam Hamra in 1975. Hamra Enterprises has over 200 Wendy’s, Panera Bread and Noodles and Company locations, with recently announced plans to add 24 Caribou Coffee franchises to their portfolio. Of their 7,400-plus employees, almost 2,000 are in Missouri, according to Hamra.
“I built that business, because I have a love and passion for supporting people and making a difference for them and their families and contributing to the communities where we do business,” Hamra said. “And so for me, it's been about how to bring that same experience in a very complex business to running the state of Missouri and making a difference for people in the state and that's really where my passion is.”
Child care, workforce development, abortion access among top priorities
The theme of Hamra’s campaign video announcing his candidacy was “ideas” and finding new ways to solve problems, promoting his perspective of a businessman in the political framework of Jefferson City.
He wants to bring ideas to the Governor’s Mansion refocusing on education, promoting small businesses, strengthening the workforce and making child care and health care more affordable, with a vision to return kids around the state to school five days a week intertwined with workforce development. Hamra also touted his philanthropic efforts in helping raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to provide kids with cancer free health care.
“I think there's a big opportunity there and I think day care’s another big opportunity for people in the state to help make ends meet, help people have careers that are important to them,” he told the Daily Citizen.
Additionally, Hamra wants to restore the rights of women to make their own decisions around reproductive healthcare, which could be determined by one of 17 initiative petitions that look to reinstate abortion access in Missouri.
“We're not going to trap investment into the state unless we deal with the restrictions on abortion,” Hamra said. “I mean, Missouri was the one of the first, or the first to restrict abortion right after Roe v. Wade was reversed, so we need to shift that because it's a woman's choice, and it should be a woman's choice at the end of the day, that's their decision, it shouldn't be a political issue.”
Hamra banking on bipartisanship, relationships
Hamra emphasized the need to find a middle ground with people irrespective of political affiliation to promote a shared vision for the state, suggesting his experience in business would help him start those conversations in Jefferson City.
“I’m not a career politician, I’m a businessperson,” Hamra said. “I know what it means to make a payroll, I know what it means to create jobs and I know how to get things done with people I don't always agree with.”
While his family name is well-known in the Springfield area, Hamra is also hopeful that his existing network and business presence around the state will help his campaign garner wide support from every corner of Missouri.
“We have relationships with people throughout the state … at the end of the day, it's going to be about rolling up my sleeves and getting to work to get out and meeting people and connecting with people and sharing my values and sharing what I'm about and letting people get to know me better,” he said.
In addition to Hamra and Quade, Sheryl Gladney and Eric Morrison have filed as Democratic candidates for governor with the Missouri Ethics Commission. October campaign finance filings show Quade’s campaign has over $215,000 on hand, with Gladney’s committee showing limited activity and Morrison with just over $1,200. As he just entered the race, Hamra has no campaign finance filings available.
Kehoe continues to lead fundraising among the Republican candidates.
More information on Hamra’s bid for governor can be found on his campaign website.
The primary election will take place on Aug. 6, 2024, with the general election to follow on Nov. 5.
