Missouri candidates for the U.S. Senate are vying for the opportunity to fix a system they think is broken and want to put Missouri on better footing for a stronger economy.
The two main-party candidates, Democrat Jason Kander and Republican incumbent Roy Blunt, have been in a faceoff, pitting their experience against each other's.
Kander is running his campaign as a political "outsider" who hasn't lost touch with the public and understands the needs of veterans.
"Washington is broken," Kander said. "And just like everyone else in Missouri, I'm frustrated watching people in Washington who seem to focus on special interest (policy) and are not at all focused enough on Missourians. We need to get a new generation of leadership to get things done and focus on solutions."
Blunt, though he's been in politics for more than 30 years, points to his roots as a farmer and school teacher and said he has a proven record of accomplishments as a senator.
"I've got a lot of things that I've worked on that are heading in a good direction, and I want to be sure to continue that," Blunt said. "I have bipartisan efforts that have made real progress on mental health with a bill that I've worked on called the Excellence for Mental Health Act. I started chairing the committee last year, and for the first time in 12 years, there's been an increase in health care research."
Third-party candidates, Libertarian Jonathan Dine and Consitutionalist Fred Ryman, are also on the ticket and want to make major reforms to how the federal government is currently operating.
The various ways the candidates would work to boost the economy represent a common thread.
Kander is focused on helping the middle class by passing a middle-class tax cut and capping interest rates on college loans.
Blunt wants the federal government to scale back its regulations, which would promote job growth and a healthier economy.
Dine said he'd like to eliminate federal taxes and make the tax codes more equitable as to not benefit the wealthy and burden the middle class.
Ryman was also in favor of restructuring federal taxes so the states could decide how to tax individuals and businesses. States would have a federal tax obligation based on population, he said, so each state could decide which tax code was the fairest.
The candidates differed in what they thought was the second most pressing issue facing Missourians, and they addressed how they would remedy it if they're elected.
The elected candidate will be among 100 U.S. senators for a six-year term and earn a base salary of $174,000, plus benefits. Those in leadership positions can earn more than $230,000 depending on their role.
Jason Kander - Democrat
Boosting the middle class and advocating for veterans are among Kander's top issues.
He's focused on executing a tax cut for the middle class to put more money in Missourians' pockets, which in turn should boost the local economy, he said. Making college more affordable also plays a central role in alleviating financial stress for the blue-collar community.
"Too many folks in Washington think of it as an issue that only affects people between the ages of 15 and 25, but it affects people across generations," he said. "I've been to every county in Missouri, stood in front of audiences and asked them to raise their hands if their financial situation is affected by student loans. Three-quarters of the room will raise their hand because so many are helping a child or grandchild. A lot of people I know are concerned about whether they'll be able to help their own children because they're still paying off their student loans."
Kander suggests capping interest rates so people can climb out of their loan debt faster. Tax cuts and college affordability are intertwining issues, he said, that can help boost the economy if people have more money to spend.
Aiding veterans is also at the top of his list because he's a veteran himself and intimately understands what they go through.
"Right now, we have the fewest vets in Congress since World War II," he said. "That makes a big difference in the perspective that Congress takes on national security. Congress has not even seriously debated declaring war on ISIS. That has an effect on our ability to fight ISIS, and that's the greatest threat we face in the world."
He comes into the equation with the perspective of the insider. He's been the boots on the ground overseas obtaining information - not sitting in a briefing room.
He'd also like to tackle issues with the Veterans Affairs department, which has long been criticized for its shortcomings.
Kander has had the same experience many other veterans have had with the VA, making him start from scratch with a mountain of paperwork about his health.
"It makes no sense," he said. "When the (Department of Defense) has all your records and knows everything about you and then the moment you leave all of sudden the VA acts as though the government has never heard of you, it makes people start all over, and it slows down their ability to get services."
Politicians have spent more time complaining about the issue than digging in and trying to fix it, Kander said.
Roy Blunt - Republican
Upon being re-elected, Blunt wants to address the "failing" of the Affordable Care Act - commonly known as Obamacare - and stifle the intruding federal government to return more control to local municipalities.
His campaign slogan is "More jobs, less government" - "four words that will make a lot of difference and bring the opportunities families need to have," Blunt said.
The government has too many regulations, Blunt said. U.S. senators should have to vote on any regulation that has a significant economic consequence, he said, and he's been trying to get the legislation to do that.
Government overreach is hurting job growth, he said.
"We need to not get in the way of better jobs and create an environment where better jobs occur," he said. "We need a transportation system that works and a tax system that allows (companies) to be competitive."
The expanding world food demand, transportation and health care are areas the United States can capitalize on if the federal government steps aside with its regulations and tax system, Blunt believes.
"I would like to do everything we can to take advantage of those," he said. "Someone will maximize that opportunity, and I'd like it to be the United States. I'd like to do everything we can to become the focal hub of those areas. Health care research is so important. The people that figure out new ways to do things will have the economic opportunity that goes along with that."
Blunt is among many politicians who want to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with something less costly for individuals and businesses. He suggest allowing people to buy insurance across state lines if they opt out of their employers' insurance.
Repealing ACA and replacing it with an alternative should create more competition between insurance companies, which will lower rates and make insurance more accessible, he said.
"The president's plan has fundamentally failed," Blunt said. "People's health care is an incredible thing for the government to get into and needlessly create problems."
Jonathan Dine - Libertarian
Dine would like to see major tax reform - including potentially eliminating federal tax - and re-examine the criminal justice system.
The current tax codes have benefited the wealthy and crushed those struggling to make ends meet, he said.
Dine believes if people could keep more of what they earned, then they'd have more finances to pursue career endeavors and pay off debt. He suggests eliminating the current federal tax and replacing it with a 10 percent flat tax.
He would also plan to look at federal spending to determine which areas could be cut back. He suggests cutting military spending by 20 percent.
Dine would also like to free up prisons of non-violent, drug-related crimes and get treatment for people involved in drugs instead of sending them to prison.
"I feel like there's been an increase of overcriminalization," Dine said. "You've got the war on drugs, which has been an utter failure."
"If elected, I'd sponsor legislation to make marijuana legal at the federal level. If people want to experiment with their consciousness in their own home, I don't feel you should police private activity."
Fred Ryman - Constutionalist
Ryman said his top issues were approving the next Supreme Court justice - and impeaching ones who step over boundary lines - and repealing the 16th Amendment, essentially doing away with the Internal Revenue Service.
Appointing the next Supreme Court justice is at the top of Ryman's docket because of the power the court holds, he said. He feels the Supreme Court has overstepped in several cases, including a 2004 case in Connecticut where the court allowed private property to be sold to private developers under the clause of eminent domain to stir economic growth.
"(The nomination) is extremely important, and frankly, we just need a senator to approve the right nominee," he said. "We need a senator that will (work to) impeach justices that are legislating from the bench, that are basically creating law."
Ryman also wants to completely restructure the tax system.
Under his plan, federal taxes would be based on state population, and each state would have to decide how to meet the federal government's tax obligation.
"The benefit of that is you have 50 states in competition with each other to find the fairest tax plan," he said. "You're going to know who has the fairest tax plan because companies and people will relocate to those states. Companies wouldn't be going overseas; they would relocate to the state where they believe they have the fairest tax plan."
MEET THE CANDIDATES
Jason Kander
Age: 35
Background: Current Missouri secretary of state, served in the Missouri General Assembly representing Kansas City and is a former U.S. Army captain who served in Afghanistan
Family: Wife, Diana, and son, True
Campaign finance
On the federal level, campaign finance reports are broken down by quarterly or two-year summaries. Between Feb. 19, 2015, and July 13, 2016, Kander had:
Raised: $5,998,474
Spent: $2,678,788
Debt: None
Cash on hand: $3,763,654
Roy Blunt
Age: 66
Background: Elected to U.S. Senate in 2010, elected member of the U.S. House of Representatives seven times, former Missouri secretary of state
Family: Wife, Abigail, four children, six grandchildren
Campaign finance
On the federal level, campaign finance reports are broken down by quarterly or two-year summaries. Between Jan. 1, 2015, and July 13, 2016, Blunt had:
Raised: $7,928,327
Spent: $4,266,290
Debt: None
Cash on hand: $6,625,613
Jonathan Dine
Age: 37
Background: Personal trainer for 18 years
Family: Girlfriend, Jenni Gray, three daughters
Campaign finance
On the federal level, campaign finance reports are broken down by quarterly or two-year summaries. Candidates that raise or spend more than $5,000 are required to file a campaign finance report with the Federal Election Commission.
The commission didn't have anything on file for Dine.
Fred Ryman
Age: 67
Background: Currently a manager at a furniture store in Columbia, owned a business as an arcade vendor for 10 years, Nazarene pastor for 10 years, worked in the human resources department for Missouri Social Services Department
Family: Single, five children, six grandchildren
Campaign finance
On the federal level, campaign finance reports are broken down by quarterly or two-year summaries. Candidates that raise or spend more than $5,000 are required to file a campaign finance report with the Federal Election Commission.
The commission didn't have anything on file for Ryman.