JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — One union member — Amy Minich — and one retired union member — Daniel “Dan” Kinate — have filed to run for Missouri House of Representatives District 8 and District 16.
While these are roles neither Kinate nor Minich would have seen themselves in before this filing period, both candidates have one common goal: to give the labor community a voice in Jefferson City, Mo. — which is what IBEW Local 124 Retiree and Former Missouri House District 37 Representative Joe Runions believes is one of the most important elements in the legislature.
“We need Building Trades, we need union members in elected official positions; republicans promote their people — we need to do the same,” Runions said in an interview.
This presence in Jefferson City, Runions shared, has allowed the labor community to speak up for issues including Prevailing Wage as he found during his time as House District 37 Representative, that most cities search for the cheapest methods for project completion.
“It gives us a voice; there’s only one Building Trades member in the general assembly right now and they will term out in two years. At the local level, we don’t have a voice,” Runions said.
Minich
Amy Minich was sitting with her union local on March 31 in the Missouri Senate Gallery just 90 minutes before the filing cut off time, when it had become apparent that no one had filed as a Democratic candidate for Missouri House in-district 8 Representative.
“My friend turned to me and asked ‘What are you going to do about it,’” Minich said in an interview.
This led her to Secretary of State Denny Hoskins office to fill out the candidacy paperwork 30 minutes prior to the cut off time.
“Educating others to understand how legislation affects labor is super important to me,” Minich said in an interview. “I want to ensure labor has a voice at the table and my kids have a future.”
While Minich is running unopposed for the Democratic party, she will appear on November ballots against Missouri House of Representatives District 8 Incumbent, Josh Hurlbert (R) — who has served in office since January 2023.
Minich began working for UAW Local 249 in 2014, which is when she shared that she began getting involved in outreach through its “Community Action Program.” Originally knocking doors to draw awareness toward federal and state policy such as “Right-to-Work” — a U.S. law, which removes an employer’s requirement for its employees to pay union dues or fees — this engagement also led her to begin having conversations with labor candidates for education on policy, which impacts labor communities.
“It’s imperative that union members stand up and run for office to continue our legacy,” Minich said in an interview. “We have to have a seat at the table; we have to have more union members stand up and run for office.”
For her campaign, while areas such as Right-to-Work, Amendment 3, Proposition A, Minimum Wage increase and paid sick time remain of importance to Minich, what she plans to focus immediate attention toward includes the state Redistricting and the Initiative Petition.
“Even if our district is not currently being affected, it disenfranchises voters across the state — making voters’ voices null and void,” Minich said in reference to the redistricting bill.
The Initiative Petition, which received 367,000 signatures, will go before the Missouri State Legislature, to fight to repeal the Missouri Right-to-Work initiative.
“We’ve fought against ‘Right-to-Work’ in this state and voted it down time and time again,” Minich said in an interview. “It’s the billionaires versus working class people; there’s a cultural divide on purpose — that’s an important message.”
District 8 includes cities across Clay and Clinton counties. Minich — a Lawson resident — mentioned that while she has previously knocked doors in Clay and Ray counties with UAW Local 249, for this campaign, she has focused on bringing her campaign to areas further south including Blue Springs and Independence.
With election day in November, Minich shared that the next six months will be geared toward finalizing her campaign materials, attending events and preparing for her campaign kick-off, which she intends to host by mid-June.
However, the campaign element, which she shared is most important to her, is meeting people in person and providing them with candidacy information.
“The whole campaign is face to face conversations and meeting people where they’re at,” she said. “It’s not my campaign, it’s our campaign; it’s not just for myself — a lot of the community is hurting.”
With this campaign, which Minich has referred to as a “Grass Roots” effort, it is the influence of her female colleagues who she shared have helped to drive this mission.
“When women work together, we build communities,” Minich said. “The easiest way to help support candidates running is just helping spread the word, no matter the local or union you are a part of; give unions visibility by sharing information that’s available to you.”
Kinate
Daniel Kinate was in his fourth year of retirement from IBEW Local 124 when he received a call from the Clay County Democrats, piquing his interest in running for Missouri House District 16 Representative.
At first, the concept of running for public office did not appeal to a retired Kinate. However, when he shared with the Clay County Democrats that he would consider its proposition, he began to question if the Democratic party would find another candidate if he decided not to run, as the party has previously grappled with filling seats.
In January, Kinate began fundraising for his campaign against Missouri House District 16 Representative Incumbent Chris Brown (R), who was elected to the legislature in 2020.
In addition to Minich, Kinate is also the sole Democratic candidate for his House District and will appear on Ballots on Nov. 3 — bypassing a primary election.
With Missouri House District 16 representing cities in Clay County, a few topics Kinate shared, which are most important to him and that will be at the forefront of his campaign, include the “FairTax Act of 2026” or HB 2690 — a House bill, which, if passed, would eliminate the Missouri state income tax by Jan. 1, 2028 and replace it with a 5.11% sales tax, according to the house bill docket.
“To enact a sales tax will disenfranchise a lot of folks; income tax is fair and true,” Kinate said in an interview. “The staples are pretty high, the cost of living, families are surviving instead of thriving; they’re in survival mode trying to make ends meet.”
However, as an IBEW Local 124 retiree, Kinate shared that it is also issues including “Right-to-Work” and prevailing wage, which are pivotal.
“We get the best value with union labor when doing projects, think of prevailing wage, the tax payer dollars — prevailing wage should be union wage and not a lower wage; I’ve been fighting for things like that my whole career,” Kinate said in an interview.
And while these are concerns, which both Kinate and Minich do not believe receive enough traction in Jefferson City, Mo., currently, within the next several months, Kinate has plans for his campaign to work to change this narrative.
“I know a lot about construction. I learned in construction in IBEW how to work hard and get a job done and stick within a budget, which is important,” Kinate said in an interview “To keep working until we get a job done is the same work ethic that will be in our campaign.”
Along with raising finance dollars, he also has plans to talk with voters and knock on doors — in addition to the 250 that he shared he has knocked so far.
“I want to introduce myself and ask everyone what’s important to them; the biggest thing is the chaos right now — no one feels like they have a voice,” Kinate said in an interview. “I feel like there’s a unique opportunity in this cycle for democrats to get elected.”
Over the past four months, Kinate shared that he has received positive feedback from local unions and the Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades Council as well as a myriad of union endorsements.
“I don’t think background is the biggest thing in running for office, but I’m very proud of my labor background and proud of the job that I had that was a good paying job to support family; I’m proud to have had that and worked hard — labor gives that,” Kinate said in an interview.
Julia Williams — a Kansas City native — is a reporter and digital producer for The Labor Beacon. A University of Missouri School of Journalism alumna, she previously served as the editor-in-chief of The Northeast News before joining The Labor Beacon staff.
Williams’s grandfather was a Claycomo Ford Motor Company retiree and avid UAW Local 249 supporter, allowing her to understand the union difference from a young age.
In her free time, Williams enjoys spending time with her family, traveling to see her friends and hanging out at home with her cat, Greta. She loves a good cup of coffee, seeing local, live music and shopping secondhand. With a passion for storytelling, she hopes to bring her knowledge of journalistic integrity to the Kansas City union community — giving union and labor workers a voice, while holding people in powerful positions accountable.
