With some on-the-spot editing, Susan delivered the following speech to a crowd of over 2,000 in St. Louis on Saturday, September 9.

My name is Susan Montee and I’m running for Missouri State Auditor. As a CPA, attorney, and elected county auditor, I will be the most qualified Missouri State Auditor to ever hold the title. I hope you will support me.

For the last eight years we’ve had a State Auditor who has been fearless in pursuing waste and corruption in government. We’ve had a State Auditor who has watched our tax dollars just like they were her own. Again and again, Claire McCaskill has stood up to those who would not stand up for us. No matter what the issue, Claire has been on our side.

Today, Claire is making her way to the U.S. Senate, where she can continue to fight for us in Washington.

While Claire fights for us in Washington, it will be up to us to continue the fight here at home in Missouri. That’s why I’m running for State Auditor. I’m asking you to vote Susan Montee for State Auditor so I can work hard every day for you.

Now I’d like to tell you about someone who has had a huge influence on my life. Many of us know about Betty Anne McCaskill, the mother of Missouri’s next U.S. Senator, who instilled in her daughter a deep desire to make the world a better place, and the understanding that hard work is the only way to make it happen.

Like so many here today, I also grew up with a woman in my life who helped me understand what kind of person to be. It was my grandmother, Sue Humphrey, a public school teacher who continued teaching and tutoring students until the age of 97. A life-long learner, my grandmother went back to college when she was in her eighties and actually walked the graduation line with both of my younger brothers. My grandmother was involved in her community, committed to her students and family, and most importantly she knew that we can never, ever give up the fight.

She knew about not giving up in 1966 when my father, a Marine navigator in Vietnam, disappeared in Laos and was declared Missing in Action. I want you to know that she never stopped looking for him; she never stopped pushing government to help find him. My grandmother pushed forward every day of her life, and that is what we must all do. We must demand more from those around us, and from the government whose sole purpose is to serve us.

As your State Auditor, you can count on me to push every day for a government that serves us efficiently and effectively. I will ensure that lottery funds go to the classroom, to our children who need those resources to compete and succeed. As your State Auditor, I will make sure that Missouri’s sex offender registry prevents sex offenders from living within 500 feet of our schools, playgrounds and daycare centers. In this age of computer hackers and identity thieves, I will see that our state agencies protect your personal information and privacy.

I’m going to work hard for you as State Auditor. What I need now is for you to help me. We all need you. We need your vote, and we need you to volunteer. Please be there for us and we will be there for you. Please cast your vote in November, elect me your State Auditor and let’s all make sure that Claire McCaskill is our next U.S. Senator.

Thank you.