(D) JAY NIXON - Incumbent
JAY NIXON is serving his first term as governor of Missouri. Garnering the highest margin of victory for a

non-incumbent governor in 44 years, Nixon was overwhelmingly elected by Missourians as their 55th Governor on Nov. 4, 2008, to lead the state in a new direction.

Governor Nixon has put forward an agenda to make government more efficient, effective and responsive to the needs of Missouri families. He is committed to attracting the jobs of the future to Missouri, making health care more affordable and placing a college education within reach for middle-class students.

As he did while serving in the state Senate and during his four terms as attorney general, Governor Nixon is reaching across the aisle to put Missouri families first. During his first legislative session as Governor in 2009, Nixon successfully worked with the Republican-controlled legislature to pass his comprehensive jobs bill to put Missourians back to work in the face of a 25-year high in unemployment. The legislature also passed Caring for Missourians, an initiative by Gov. Nixon that will enable Missouri’s public colleges and universities to graduate an additional 900 professionals in high-demand health care fields each year. (Read More...)

R) DAVID SPENCE
David Spence, 53, recently stepped down as the President of Alpha Packaging after nearly 27 years at the helm. Alpha is a Missouri-based plastics manufacturing company that Dave built from the ground up. Spence secured a loan to buy Alpha in 1985 at the age of 26. At the time, the business had about 15 employees and $350,000 in annual sales. A proven job creator, Dave has led Alpha’s rem

arkable expansion to over 800 employees and almost $200 million in revenue. He has also served as the Chairman of Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging, a Missouri-based company. While quality manufacturing jobs were evaporating across the country, Dave found the formula to break that trend and help provide a good living for hundreds of Missourians.

Spence was born and raised in Missouri. Dave spent most of his childhood in Overland with his mother and two sisters before moving to Kirkwood. A public school student, he graduated from Kirkwood High School. While still in school, 14-year-old Dave began working at his father’s business sweeping floors and eventually learned every job in the company, from receiving the raw materials to shipping the final product. After high school, Dave attended University of Missouri-Columbia School of Business and earned a degree in Economics. 

Dave believes strongly in the need for quality education to create a skilled workforce and attract new high-paying jobs. With his success in business, Dave has generously given back to several educational causes. Alpha Packaging currently funds more than 20 college scholarships for the children of its employees. Additionally, Spence is a sponsor of a special entrepreneurial study program for students at the Trulaske School of Business at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dave’s wife Suzie, who holds a master’s degree in education from University of Missouri-St. Louis, is also involved in Community Alliance to Reinvigorate Education (CARE).