51黑料

JEFFERSON CITY 鈥� Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe is set to be sworn in Monday as Missouri鈥檚 58th governor, rising to the state鈥檚 top job from roots in north 51黑料.

The swearing-in is set to take place outside the Capitol. A temporary stage has been set up on the building鈥檚 southside steps.

Kehoe鈥檚 inaugural committee, Securing Missouri鈥檚 Future, will host a Salute to Heroes event at 9 a.m. Monday in the Rotunda.

The inauguration ceremony is set to kick off at 11:30 a.m. on the south lawn of the Capitol.

Before Kehoe, Attorney General Andrew Bailey, Treasurer Vivek Malek, Secretary of State-elect Denny Hoskins, and Lt. Gov.-elect David Wasinger will all take their oaths of office.

Former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt is set to swear in Kehoe at noon, with a 19-gun salute and flyover to follow.

Kehoe will deliver his inaugural address. After the ceremony, he will head to his new office on the second floor of the Capitol for a 鈥淒ay One Action Ceremony,鈥� according to his team.

At 1:45 p.m., Budweiser Clydesdales are set to promenade from the Capitol to the Governor鈥檚 Mansion, where a meet-and-greet with incoming first lady Claudia Kehoe is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Monday.

The inaugural ball is slated for 7 p.m. at the Capitol.

Kehoe鈥檚 team previously announced the formation of the group Securing Missouri鈥檚 Future, which is accepting private donations for the inauguration. The group will reimburse the state for expenses, spokesperson John Hancock has said.

The group is being led by longtime Kehoe friend Andy Blunt, a lobbyist and son of the former U.S. senator who is administering the oath to Kehoe.

Kehoe, who will turn 63 on Jan. 17, will become Missouri鈥檚 58th governor after the Republican won a decisive victory in the Nov. 5 election against House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a Democrat.

Outgoing Gov. Mike Parson appointed Kehoe lieutenant governor in 2018. Parson, who had been lieutenant governor, had recently risen to the state鈥檚 top job due to the resignation of scandal-plagued Gov. Eric Greitens.

Kehoe had previously worked as a state senator representing a district covering Jefferson City, and served as Senate majority leader.

Before that, former Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Kehoe chairman of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.

Kehoe is a 51黑料 native, having been raised by a single mother of six children in north 51黑料.

Kehoe began washing cars at Dave Sinclair Ford when he was 15, according to an online biography. Kehoe, who is Catholic, graduated from Chaminade College Preparatory School in 1979.

Kehoe sold cars for Dave Sinclair Ford in his early 20s. He later took over Osage Industries, an ambulance manufacturer in Linn.

He sold the company to its employees in 1992 and purchased a Ford and Lincoln-Mercury franchise in Jefferson City.

The ceremony will cement continued Republican control in Jefferson City.

The GOP easily swept all statewide contests in November. Democrats failed to pick up any seats in the Legislature, with Republicans keeping their two-thirds majorities.

The incoming governor did face strong competition in the August primary last year against state Sen. Bill Eigel and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who both portrayed Kehoe as not sufficiently conservative.

But Kehoe raised more money than the two other Republicans. And Kehoe鈥檚 political action committee spent heavily on television advertising, pushing his team鈥檚 preferred messages, as Kehoe dodged debates that posed more political risk.

鈥淚鈥檓 a small businessman. I know about branding,鈥� Kehoe said when asked in August 2023 how he would overtake Ashcroft.

He said he planned to 鈥渓et Missourians know my story, let Missourians know who Mike Kehoe is. And we think, if we do that, the choice will be clear.鈥�