COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Voters on Tuesday will choose to give Republican Gov. Mike Parson a full four years in charge of Missouri or to give the job to Democrat Nicole Galloway, in a race that shaped up as a referendum on Parson's approach to the coronavirus pandemic and the candidates' competing visions for the future of policing in the state.

The election, which could be Democrats’ best chance of flipping a governor’s seat this year, marks voters' first chance to weigh in on Parson's leadership of the state. He ascended to the governorship two years ago after his Republican predecessor, Eric Greitens, resigned under a cloud of scandal and facing possible impeachment.

Early voting was exceptionally high heading into Election Day, and local news footage showed steady lines of voters at polling stations around the state ready to cast their ballots in-person early Tuesday despite the coronavirus risk.

Among those voting was Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid, who cast his ballot at Arrowhead Stadium as part of a nationwide effort by sports teams to make venues available to encourage voting. Reid didn't say whom he voted for, but he praised his players and team management for providing a popular voting site.

“I think it’s neat that they were able to do it right here at the stadium ... That’s the part I appreciate the most, just how everyone pulled together to jointly get this thing done,” Reid said.

Much of the race between Parson and Galloway, the state auditor, has centered on the pandemic and crime.

Galloway has been critical of Parson’s handling of the pandemic. He allowed Missouri businesses to largely reopen in mid-June, and the number of confirmed cases promptly rose. Meanwhile, hospitalizations began to spike in September and have remained high.

Unlike his counterparts in many states, Parson also refused to issue an order requiring people wear face masks in public and he has often appeared in public without one. He and his wife, who are in their 60s, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 23, but neither developed serious symptoms.

At a recent candidate forum in Columbia, Galloway said Parson had “failed the test of leadership.”

Peter Norgard, a 42-year-old engineer from Columbia, called Parson a President Donald “Trump wannabe” and said he was voting for Galloway. He said Parson has handled the pandemic “exactly the way Donald Trump’s handled it for the country.”

“He’s allowed the counties to define their own rules, provided zero support. And as a result, we are seeing record numbers of COVID cases in the state,” said Norgard, who had handmade signs in his yard that read “Joe Biden: He won't inject you with bleach” and “Nyet Trump!”

Parson has defended what he calls his balanced approach to the pandemic that is aimed at keeping the economy going while fighting the spread of the disease. He has pointed to Missouri’s relatively low unemployment rate compared to other states’, its quick recovery of many jobs that were lost at the pandemic's outset, and consumer-spending levels that are at or near pre-pandemic levels.

Taryn Perkins, a 33-year-old kindergarten teacher from the St. Louis suburb of Berkeley, said she voted for Parson largely because of his handling of the coronavirus. Perkins, who teaches at a private Christian school, moved from Hartford, Illinois, to Berkeley six months ago, and noted the stark contrast in how the governors of the two states approached the pandemic.

“The big thing with Illinois is I’ve had a lot of friends who, because their businesses were closed, are very much facing financial hardships,” Perkins said after voting at the library in Clayton with her 8-year-old daughter in tow.

She said that by allowing businesses to remain open, Parson “has given people a lot of hope. That was kind of the deciding factor, because unfortunately I have a lot of friends who are struggling to pay bills right now.”

Violent crime has risen dramatically in parts of Missouri this year, especially in the two largest cities and their suburbs. Kansas City and St. Louis have already had more homicides this year than last, and St. Louis is on pace to exceed its 25-year high for killings in a year.

Parson and his allies have cast Galloway as soft on crime, citing support she received from racial justice activists who have called for defunding the police.

Advocates for defunding generally mean shifting money from law enforcement to things such as mental health services and crime prevention. Galloway said she doesn't support defunding the police but does favor providing more money for things such as education and mental health services that would address systemic problems.

Galloway, 38, has also called for “common sense” gun laws, while Parson strongly opposes any limits on guns and gun ownership. Missouri gun laws are among the most lenient in the U.S.

Galloway was the Boone County treasurer in 2015 when state Auditor Tom Schweich died. Then-Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Galloway to fill the remainder of Schweich’s term. She defeated Republican challenger Saundra McDowell by about 6 percentage points in the 2018 election.

Parson’s predecessor, Greitens, is a former Navy SEAL officer who was seen as a rising star in GOP politics when he was accused in 2018 of taking a compromising photo of a woman during an extramarital affair about three years earlier and charged with a felony, which was later dropped.

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Salter reported from Clayton. Associated Press writer Dave Skretta contributed to this report from Kansas City, Missouri.

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