Gov. Jay Nixon (PoliticMo Photo/Blake James)
— In a tough political and economic environment, the state of Missouri has maintained its AAA credit rating, said two leading rating agencies in the last two weeks.
Fitch Ratings reaffirmed Missouri’s AAA credit rating in a report released this month, weeks after Standard & Poor’s made a similar judgment. Fitch cited “conservative fiscal operations” in a tough environment in their report.
Gov. Jay Nixon lauded the news in an announcement Tuesday.
“For the second time in two weeks, an objective, leading financial authority has praised the fiscal soundness of Missouri state government,” Nixon said. “We’ve maintained tight financial discipline, balanced our budget, and laid the groundwork for our economy to keep moving forward. We’ll continue that discipline to serve the people of Missouri in the most effective and efficient way possible.”
**UPDATE** The Missouri Republican Party, which has blasted Nixon’s economic record as governor citing lagging jobs numbers, said the state should be expected to maintain its AAA credit rating which it has held for more than two decades.
“[K]eeping that rating intact seems like an expectation, not an accomplishment. If this is the best Jay Nixon has, then his legacy is in real danger,” Lloyd Smith, executive director of the Missouri Republican Party, told PoliticMo. “The truth is that the most important economic indicator for the vast majority of Missourians is whether they and their neighbors have jobs, and on that count, Jay Nixon is failing miserably.”
email: eli [at] politicmo.com | phone: 417.597.3873 | twitter: @eyokley 
