The 2012 election left Missouri with an unusual political alignment: Governor Jay Nixon had won another term while Republicans held commanding legislative majorities. For supporters of limited government, that was not a reason to disengage after Election Day. It created an opportunity—and an obligation—to press for substantive policy reform.

Missouri still faced major arguments over tax credits, economic-development subsidies, taxation, health care, and the size of government. Recent fights over proposals such as Aerotropolis had shown how easily large spending or incentive packages could advance unless citizens and policymakers scrutinized them closely.

The more productive question after an election was therefore not simply who won, but what reforms people were prepared to advocate. Broad tax reform, including ideas such as eliminating the corporate income tax, offered one example of a policy agenda that could replace selective government favors with a more competitive general environment.