As Governor Jay Nixon’s veto-filled term comes to an end this November, right-to-work advocates have a chance to finally liberate Missouri workers from Big Labor.

Nixon and his union buddies cling to a view of labor that is too outdated for a state that has been embracing the new economy. Missouri’s private sector is welcoming traditionally non-unionized industries and right-to-work is gaining popularity.

Nixon’s Party of Big Government and Big Labor was handily defeated in numerous state-level and local elections in 2010. Jake Wagman at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote that in 2010, Republicans “won in places they have always won, won in places they should have won but historically didn’t, and, most notably, won in places that for years have belonged to Democrats.”

Today, Republicans still maintain the majority of seats in the Missouri House and Senate and the right-to-work movement’s momentum could help them win the governor’s mansion.

The likely Democratic nominee for governor, Attorney General Chris Koster, is being funded by labor groups. Koster, a former Republican, switched parties in 2007 due to differences with the Republican Party on issues including “workers’ rights.” The Kansas City Star reported in April of this year that Koster raised nearly $1 million in one weekend, much of it from labor unions. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) union for public and private workers contributed $150,000 and the Teamster-funded Missouri Drive Fund gave $25,000.

On the other side of the aisle, every Republican gubernatorial candidate has declared their support for right-to-work legislation. The candidate that currently appears to be the likely nominee, Lt. Governor Peter Kinder, called for an override of Nixon’s right-to-work veto in June 2015.

Right now, the Cook Political Report and Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball is rating the gubernatorial race in Missouri as a pure toss-up. But momentum for right-to-work could tilt the race in the eventual Republican nominee’s favor. An April 2015 survey of over 10,000 Missourians conducted by Remington Research Group on behalf of Missouri Alliance for Freedom showed overwhelming support for worker freedom laws.

Many jobs in the state’s private sector are now in industries that are not traditionally unionized, and it doesn’t seem like workers mind. In fact, union membership in the Show Me State has been lower than the national average since 2004, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The manufacturing, mining and farming industries have been shrinking in Missouri. At the same time, less union-friendly jobs in largescale retail and the service sector have been growing.

Most recently, this growing support for worker freedom in Missouri compelled lawmakers to push for paycheck protection (which stops union dues from being used for political activity). The House passed the Senate’s bill 109-49 on March 3^rd of 2016, even receiving support from Democratic Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal.

Of course, Governor “Veto” Nixon vetoed the bill. The House voted to override Nixon’s veto 109-47 with the support of Democratic Rep. Courtney Allen Curtis (who was assaulted for supporting right-to-work last year). But the Senate came one vote short. At the last minute, Senator Chappelle-Nadal changed her vote. She went along with every one of her Democrat colleagues who were joined by Republicans Ryan Silvey and Gary Romine.

The razor-thin defeat of right-to-work last year and, most recently, paycheck protection shows how close the right-to-work movement is to victory in Missouri.

The Committee for Accountable Government in Missouri (CAGM) has announced a new campaign that informs union workers who are “fed up” with paying dues of how to decertify their union. The campaign includes TV and radio spots, as well as online in St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and Cape Giradeau – all areas with the largest concentrations of pro-union Republicans. The ads direct workers to visit enduniondues.com, which redirects them to the instructions on how to file for a decertification election on the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation’s website.

CAGM was first formed to combat 20 Republican representatives who had voted against right-to-work. The committee released outdoor, digital, radio and television ads that identified the representatives as opponents to economic growth and receivers of Big Labor money. According to The Missouri Times in September 2015, sources around the state capitol believe the committee will actively support primaries against Republicans supporting Nixon’s veto.

It’s time for Missouri politicians to listen to their constituents and put an end to outdated labor laws. In other words, show me the freedom.