JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Voters’ pick for governor next year likely will either ensure Missouri becomes the 26th right-to-work state or remains a holdout in the national push for the measure despite being surrounded mostly by states that have adopted it.
The failure of Republican supermajorities in the Legislature this week to bar workplace contracts with mandatory union fees adds pressure to the 2016 elections. Three surrounding Midwestern states have enacted right to work in recent years, but with the support of Republican governors.
Nixon is the difference in Missouri.
All six announced and expected Republican candidates for governor have publicly said they support right to work.
And Attorney General Chris Koster criticized right-to-work in a pitch for campaign donations after the bill failed this week. He’s the only Democrat running for governor to replace Nixon, who is term-limited.
