Democrat Rick Althaus kicked off his state Senate campaign Saturday, telling 75 supporters that the state's complex issues can't be solved with partisanship and slogans.
Althaus spoke to supporters at a noontime picnic at Cape County Park North.
Althaus is seeking to unseat Republican incumbent Peter Kinder in the 27th Senatorial District. Both candidates are unopposed in their respective party's primaries in August.
The district covers Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Perry, Madison, Scott and Mississippi counties.
Althaus has taught political science at Southeast Missouri State University for 16 years. He has asked for a leave of absence from his teaching duties while he campaigns this fall.
If elected, Althaus would have to quit his tenured teaching job to serve in the legislature. Persons can't be employed by state agencies while serving in the legislature. As a public university, Southeast is considered a state agency.
If elected, Althaus said he would, in effect, be taking a 40 percent pay cut.
Althaus defended public education and spoke against the idea of state-funded vouchers for private schooling.
He said Kinder's support of a voucher system is perceived as an attack on public education.
Althaus said public schools are built to handle a certain number of students. A voucher system could lead to fewer students in the public schools, making them less efficient.
In addition, he said any state aid to private and parochial schools would come with regulatory strings.
"As a Southern Baptist, I am very concerned about the separation of church and state," he said.
Althaus said he is concerned about senior-citizen issues. "One fourth of the people in the district are 55 years of age or older," he said.
Althaus described himself as a moderate Democrat. "People want a level-headed candidate, not an extremist in either direction."
Connect with the Southeast Missourian Newsroom:
For corrections to this story or other insights for the editor, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To learn about the Southeast Missourian’s AI Policy, click here.