The 2008 general election is still a year and a half away, but some of the campaigns for statewide office are already well underway.

This week’s publication features the first candidate to enter the race for the Democratic nomination for Missouri Lieutenant Governor. Mike Evans is a US Army veteran from De Soto.

Mr. Evans’ political history includes a run for US Congress in 2004 when he ran for Missouri’s Third District seat. Currently, he serves on both the Democratic National Committee’s Veterans and Military Families Advisory Committee and on US Representative Russ Carnahan’s Veterans Advisory Committee. His professional experience includes both running a small marketing firm and teaching in a Jefferson County public school. He is earned his Business Degree from American University’s Kogod School of Business and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration from St. Louis University.

Evans: "I believe Missouri has always been best served when it had Lt. Governors who were advocates and activists. I believe the office of Lt. Governor allows the average Missourian to have their voice heard. You look at the work Harriet Woods brought to that office in the 1980's. She concentrated on drunk-driving laws, nursing home regulations and home health care. She was also a leader in the Missouri effort to pass the Equal Rights Amendment at the state level. One of my favorite quotes by her is, ‘You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims.’ As Lt. Governor I want to pick up where she left off and continue to be an advocate for the working men, women, and families of Missouri. I believe its wrong to make it harder for students to go to college, then get on a private Lear jet and zip around the state campaigning for such a measure. I am not part of the Good Ole Boy System that Peter Kinder is a part of that allows Speaker Gary Beard to cost taxpayers in Missouri $30 Million more in taxes yet ignores the situation of communities hit hard like the one around Johnson Shut-Ins State Park. My slogan will be ‘Nobody's Lt. Governor But Ours!’ because I will be a Lieutenant Governor for ALL of Missouri."

Evans: "Running out the clock is a good tactic in basketball but it’s not how state government should work in protecting the interests of the working men and women of Missouri. MO Health Net really should be called NO Health Net. It only restores health care for 4,000 of the almost 400,000 Missourians who either lost it or had it severely cut. Lt. Governor Peter Kinder has been a part of an administration that has seen Missouri be the only state to actually turn down a billion dollars in Federal Money due to the cuts to Medicaid. I am sure Peter Kinder supports the Republican Party’s giving a billion dollars to Iraq to rebuild its infrastructure, but he has turned aside and been part of an administration that ignores the fact that Missouri still has over 800,000 uninsured, and over a million who either don't have insurance or barely have coverage. No Health Net still goes by the exact regulations of Medicaid and the Federal Government still considers it Medicaid, but it just has a new name and covers less Missourians. That’s not a solution but compounding a problem.

"I am going to sit down with Governor Jay Nixon and the Democratic Legislative Leadership and we are going to hammer out a solution to this problem. As Lt. Governor, I think we can come together with a comprehensive plan for Missourians that also includes wellness training, special attention to chronic disease, and educational programs and initiatives in Missouri schools. We can and we must make it a priority to see that all Missourians have access to adequate health care and education about ways to live their lives better. I believe we need to create a statewide pool of low-rate insurance plans that any Missourian can buy into. Also, offer rebates for businesses that employ those with middle-income families to help them pay premiums for the state's program or private coverage, and provide free access to coverage for those of very low income. Also, we should allow parents to keep adult children on their family policies until age 30 years old.

"We can do it and Missouri can be the leader in Health Care Reform in the nation."

Evans: "Active and informed family participation has long been recognized as a key in successfully educating children. In inner-city communities the parental involvement is a challenge because of the negative experience so many parents have had in school. I believe that state government has a responsibility to work with all parties involved to ensure that students in St. Louis Public Schools are given all the tools necessary to succeed in life. As Lt. Governor, I will advocate that we set the following standards for the St. Louis Public School System:

• I would support and advocate for a 5% pay raise for all public school teachers in Missouri. Public School Teachers have some of the most important responsibility and jobs around in preparing our young people with the skills and tools necessary to make Missouri a better place to live. I believe Missouri Public School Teachers are not paid enough and I will work to ensure they are given a much-deserved raise.

• State standards should encourage large middle-grade schools should be divided into small communities for learning that foster relationships between adults and students.

• All students should meet with success in acquiring a core of common knowledge and skills.

• Teachers and principals should be allowed to make the key decisions necessary to transform middle-grade schools.

• Teachers should be specifically prepared to teach young adolescents.

• Families should be engaged with school staff in enhancing their children's education, and schools should be connected with their communities.

" I believe that public schools should create a place for young people where they feel safe, respected, and cared for so they can learn. They should build a young person's positive sense of self through the curriculum. State Government should integrate book learning with community projects, with family, and with community. Finally we should promote public service once more in the curriculum and teach our youth to give back to the community, which should be nurturing a sense of responsibility to others."

Evans: "YES!

"When workers are denied the right to bargain with their employers about the conditions of their employment, our society becomes less just, less equal, and less democratic. Wages lag, race and gender pay gaps widen, the social safety net is strained, civic and political participation is undermined, and corporate greed and power go unchecked. Being a union member can mean the difference between living above or below the poverty line. U.S. Department of Labor statistics demonstrate that union members' wage rates are 27% higher than those of workers who do not belong to unions.

"Collective Bargaining allows:

• The right of public safety officers to bargain over wages, hours, and working conditions;

• Resolve labor disputes through mediation or other dispute resolution processes;

• Prohibit strikes and lockouts;

"I fully support this ruling."

Evans: "Any solution must be tough, fair, and practical. We must be tough to restore the order of law. Any action must be fair to the taxpayers of Missouri and practical in our approach given the size and scope of this problem. Illegal immigration is an issue that requires a practical approach to over twenty million illegal immigrants already in America. Many of these illegal immigrants have been here for years paying taxes and have children who are now American citizens. We need to make sure illegal immigrants learn English, pay any back taxes and a fine, plus pass a criminal background check before they can get in the back of the line to be considered for legal status in our country."

Evans: "According to data compiled by the Missouri Higher Education Compact, tuition rates for Missouri students at four-year colleges and universities have increased by 30.5% in the last four years. Then Loud Mouth Blunt uses a private Lear jet to zip around the state to approve the measure. Maybe if Matt Blunt can find wealthy donors to give him private jets to fly around the state he could use that money to make these construction projects feasible. Instead of Peter Kinder attacking Jay Nixon it would be nice if Peter Kinder worked to find money to pay for these construction costs rather than raiding the only way the children of working men and women in Missouri have of going to college. Last fall the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education gave Missouri a failing grade when it comes to affordability saying, ‘The state makes a very low investment in need-based financial aid compared with leading states, and Missouri offers no low-tuition college opportunities.’ Missouri deserves a new Governor and Lt. Governor who are focused on improving education. I fully support Attorney General Jay Nixon's plan to improve education in this state and when he's Governor and I am Lt. Governor, I will advocate and work with him and the legislative leadership to implement it."

Evans: "I oppose this legislation. The role of government is for the legislative to work with the executive to create and implement legislation, but the role of the judicial is to interpret and be a protective stop gap for the people. So no, I do not support that legislation."

Evans: "My priorities will partially be to coordinate with Jay Nixon's priorities. We will be the one/two punch for working families in Missouri. However, I will be a huge advocate for military issues, our Missouri National Guardsmen and their families. Our courageous and creative approach to government is the type of leadership Missouri needs to move forward again. I will be an effective voice for the people of Missouri. My opponent is partisan and an advocate of an administration that has seen us race to the bottom by changing our laws so that workers have no insurance and no benefits to help them when they are sick and injured. I will be a servant of the people and support laws and policies that provide good paying jobs with good benefits for all of Missouri. That’s why my slogan is ‘NO ONE'S LT. GOVERNOR, BUT OUR OWN!’"