Eric D. Morrison, a Kansas City pastor and community leader, has launched his third campaign for the Missouri governor’s office and will be on the Aug. 8 Democratic primary ballot.
Morrison, 60, is seeking the Democratic nomination after being the runner-up in 2016 and 2020.
“The street that I grew up on was one of the most competitive streets in the world,” says Morrison. “That whole ‘it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose’ didn’t exist on my block. When you catch a loss, you keep on playing until you get a win.”
Morrison grew up near 42nd and Brooklyn in Kansas City and has served as pastor of Kingdom Word Ministries, formerly Sunrise Missionary Baptist Church, for nearly 23 years. He says his early life’s path can be summed up as going from “menace to minister,” and this experience informs the type of leader he’d be as Missouri’s governor.
“My heart is the heart of a servant, and I’m not interested too much in comparing myself to anybody,” Morrison says of his opponents. “I’m really not competing, I’m pursuing a calling that I can not concede.”
Morrison is seeking to build grassroots support with a platform he frames as the “five E’s”: economy, education, ethics, equality, and environment.
His top priorities include sustainable economic development, reforming education with vocational training and early childhood programs, protecting voting rights, and addressing environmental issues, including food deserts.
Morrison says he’s been called a moderate progressive but finds it difficult to label himself politically. He says his pastoral background shapes the vision for an administration focused on servant leadership and human welfare over party interests.
A woman’s right to choose will also be on the ballot this year, and Morrision’s view on the subject varies from many born-again Christians and aligns with modern Democrats. Morrison says that while he disagrees with abortion personally on religious grounds, he believes Missouri law should “let people decide.”
“As governor, I want to make sure that our entire state is a state that has not gotten divided by a consequence of all these different ideologies,” he states. “It’s our responsibility as hired servants to make all residents’ lives better and more whole. My objective as governor is to make sure that rural Missouri is blessed, urban Missouri is blessed, and suburban Missouri is blessed.”
Morrison sees broad bipartisan support for farmers, infrastructure, and broadband access that better Missourians’ lives across the political spectrum. He says criminal justice and health care are top issues.
Morrison engaged in community work with his church — particularly with Harvesters — and stayed out of politics until 2016.
Morrison describes a series of divine signs that caused him to enter the Democratic primary for governor. In his first run, Morrison galvanized 30,000+ votes despite just two-and-a-half months of campaigning. He finished runner-up behind Chris Koster, fueling his return in 2020 when he received 32,000+ votes despite pandemic challenges.
Morrison hopes to build on his previous runs and win the nomination, which features tough competition with MO House Minority Leader Crystal Quade and others already in the race. To achieve that goal, Morrison plans an active grassroots campaign of events, media appearances, door-knocking and engagement across Missouri’s 114 counties.
He urges interested volunteers and supporters to get involved through his website at EricDMorrison.com.