Education is a perfect example. Asked what Carnahan s legacy will be, new Gov. Roger Wilson, a fellow Democrat, was unequivocal. We were not in good shape, and a stout effort that was politically painful was taken, and it showed great dividends. Wilson was referring to the Outstanding Schools Act, a bill pushed through the legislature in 1993 after a court declared Missouri s education funding formula unconstitutional. The bill reworked the formula and provided a wealth of new money for schools.
Educators still count it as a landmark in the history of public school funding.
Republican ads also blasted the governor s support for a 1993 federal tax increase. In all three cases, Carnahan stood by the decisions that his opponents were attacking. He said he still favored the federal tax increase pushed by President Bill Clinton. It s a very brave thing for him to lead and Democrats to vote for in 1993 and 1994. It very likely cost us the majorities in 1994.