Ashcroft, after suggesting special benefits for veterans are unfair, is slammed by rivals

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft came under withering criticism this week from his Republican and Democratic opponents in the race for governor following recent comments suggesting special benefits for veterans are unfair.

At a candidate forum during a Missouri Republican event in Kansas City over the weekend, Ashcroft was asked how Missouri could better support its veterans and active duty military members. He responded that “we need to do what we promised them,” before adding that his next response wasn’t “probably what you want for your answer to your question.”

“I don’t think we ought to treat people based on classifications,” Ashcroft said, according to video of the forum posted by the Missouri Republican Party.

“I think we ought to treat everybody equally. And I don’t think we ought to say that If you live here, we’re going to charge you this,” he said. “But if you live here, we charge you this. I don’t think we ought to say if you’re in the military, we give this discount but everybody else has to pay twice as much. I don’t think that’s good government.”

The Republican went on to say that it’s harder for military members to get licensed when they move to Missouri and to make sure that they have licensing reciprocity.

“What I always said is, why don’t we just make that rule for everybody?” he said. “Why don’t we just say that government is the problem and let’s get government out of the way, let people make their own decisions and not keep picking and choosing winners and losers.”

Ashcroft, who attended the Merchant Marine Academy but did not graduate, ended his remarks by saying that he appreciates veterans. “I have veterans in my family. I like what they’ve done. But what we ought to do is say, if it’s good for veterans, it’s good to do it for everyone,” he said.

Ashcroft’s remarks come as the Missouri governor’s race begins to intensify. While no formal debates have been held, the top Republican candidates all shared the stage at Lincoln Days in Kansas City on Saturday, where Ashcroft made the comments.

His opponents quickly seized on the remarks. Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican who served in the Air Force, said he was “stunned to hear one of the candidates up here say he’s really not interested in looking into veterans’ issues or helping them out.”

Eigel, who is running a hard-right campaign for governor, later shared a video of Ashcroft’s comments on social media.

“I know first hand the struggles that our veterans and active military personnel face. I lost friends. I saw the struggle upon returning to the States,” he wrote on social media. “I disdain the ruling elite who send our men and women to die in their wars, all while doing nothing to ensure their sacrifice is honored when they return home.”

Republican Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, who is also running for governor, said later on Wednesday that for Ashcroft “to treat our veterans as anything less than heroes is disrespectful to all veterans and their families.” Kehoe’s role as lieutenant governor includes serving as an advocate for veterans.

“Communities across our state value our nation’s heroes and their service and sacrifice to our country, and they would want their governor to do the same,” he wrote on social media.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a Springfield Democrat who is running for governor, also criticized Ashcroft on Thursday. “We need serious leaders in our state & Jay isn’t up to the task,” Quade wrote on social media.

Other Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo from Independence and the Democratic Governors Association also weighed in.

Emma O’Brien, a press secretary for the DGA, said Thursday that Ashcroft was “an insider politician who only looks out for himself, but wants to rip away benefits from members of the military and veterans who put their lives on the line to protect our freedom. It’s shameful.”

Ashcroft, in a statement provided by a spokesperson for his campaign, did not respond to the criticism but said it was “shameful that we have failed to fulfill our commitment to our veterans.”

“No Americans make a greater sacrifice for our freedoms and security than the men and women who wear the uniform of our armed forces,” the statement said. “The sacrifices that they and their families make are unimaginable for those of us who have not served. I honor that service and as Governor will make our commitment to them a priority, without qualification.”

Ashcroft, who was first elected Missouri secretary of state in 2016 and reelected in 2020, holds a prominent name in Missouri politics as the son of John Ashcroft, a former governor, U.S. senator and attorney general under President George W. Bush.

Polling released earlier this month from ARW Strategies suggested Ashcroft was leading Eigel and Kehoe in the early poll by 23 percentage points.