Richard Brown hopes to make history by becoming the first Black lieutenant governor elected in Missouri. The Kansas City-based Democratic candidate says he’s the right person for the job based on his decades of experience as an educator, civil servant, and advocate for working families.
“I’m not a politician; I’m a public servant,” Brown said in a conversation with The Voice. “I have a common sense approach of how I see things.”
The lieutenant governor’s main constitutional duty is to preside over the state Senate and be first in the line of succession if the governor is unable to serve.
Brown says he’s the right man for the job because the lieutenant governor also serves on various boards and commissions – something he’s experienced in – advocating for issues like education, tourism, and services for seniors and minorities.
Brown touts his background as uniquely qualifying him for those responsibilities. He taught for 23 years in the Kansas City public schools across several subjects.
“I’ve always been a public servant. I wasn’t a teacher for the income,” says Brown. “I was a teacher for the outcome.”
Since 2017, he has served as a state representative for District 27, representing part of Kansas City. Brown was reelected for four consecutive terms and largely ran unopposed. He most recently served as the No. 2 Democrat in the Missouri House but has reached his term limit and can’t seek re-election in that position.
Brown’s top issue is affordable housing, to help people who are unhoused or housing insecure get into stable living situations and build equity.
As lieutenant governor, he also wants to invest in supporting new and beginning farmers as an economic development priority for the state’s top industry.
“There are all kinds of ideas that are out there, but it’s a matter of sitting down with folks who want to do something about the problem,” says Brown. “There’s no situation we can’t overcome if we’re willing to work.”
Improving access to healthcare is another key focus stemming from Brown’s personal experiences. His daughter Aja passed away at age 15 after living with cerebral palsy, and Brown’s late wife Regina also battled a rare form of cancer.
Brown says state lawmakers need to expand Medicaid and Medicare and he’s critical of state Republicans’ decision to cut more than $200 million from the 2025 budget for services to the developmentally disabled.
“If you look at this most recent state budget, there’s money for minor league baseball fields and a fence around an airport, but they took money away from folks with disabilities,” says Brown. “What are we doing? We aren’t investing in our people.”
Brown has racked up accolades during his time in the Missouri House. He was named 2023 Legislator of the Year by both the Missouri Nurses Association for his work expanding nursing practice laws and the Missouri Retired Teachers Association for his efforts to aid retired teachers in returning to the classroom.
He’s also received some key endorsements heading into the election, like the anti-gun violence group Moms Demand Action and the pro-abortion group Abortion Action Missouri.
“I feel very confident in this race,” says Brown. “I’ve got a strong record and always stood up for working people. There are ballot measures that will bring our folks out to the polls, so I think I have a very good opportunity to win this election.”
The November ballot features questions on mandatory sick leave, raising the minimum wage, and abortion access.
Despite Missouri’s conservative lean in recent statewide elections, Brown believes he can appeal to voters of all stripes who are disenchanted with partisan politics and seeking pragmatic leadership.
“I ask voters all the time, ‘Do you like the way things have been going in Missouri for the last 20 years?’ because Republicans have run the state for the past two decades,” says Brown. “Democrats have tried to be the adults in the room, but they have had the supermajority.”
Brown is running against Anastasia Syes in the Aug. 6 primary for lieutenant governor, and he’s viewed as the favorite for the nomination. He faces a tougher road in the general election against the Republican nominee in a state that hasn’t elected a Democratic lieutenant governor since 2005 or voted Democratic for president since 1996.
But Brown hopes his compelling life story and focus on “kitchen table” issues over ideology can sway enough voters his way.
