Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey wins primary as Republicans pick down-ballot nominees (2024)

JEFFERSON CITY— In what could be a legacy-sealing night for Gov. Mike Parson, two of his appointees to statewide office were leading their down-ballot Republican primary races by large margins in unofficial returns Tuesday.

Parson, who is leaving in January because of term limits, appointed two political unknowns to office to fill vacancies in 2023, including Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Treasurer Vivek Malek.

Despite both having well-heeled opponents, the duo were leading as votes were being tallied.

Here’s a rundown:

Attorney general

In the Republican primary for Attorney General, Andrew Bailey cruised to victory after his well-financed opponent, Will Scharf, conceded the race shortly after 8:30 p.m.

With 15% of precincts reporting, Bailey had 64.8% of the vote to Scharf’s 35.2%.

Bailey was appointed to the post to fill the vacancy left by U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt. Scharf is the former policy director for former ex-Gov. Eric Greitens and served as a federal prosecutor in St. Louis.

Scharf raked in nearly $6.9 million over the final stretch of the campaign from just two donors: Club for Growth Action — Missouri Federal Committee and the Concord Fund.

Bailey had Missouri megadonor Rex Sinquefield in his corner, receiving $1.7 million in contributions this year from the retired St. Louis entrepreneur.

Bailey also used his office to help generate culture war news stories to keep him in front of voters, including a failed effort to sue New York in response to the prosecution of Trump in his hush money case involving a p*rn star.

Scharf served on Trump’s legal team through his series of court cases, but the former president endorsed both candidates in the race.

A final primary poll by Missouri Scout and Remington Research Group showed Bailey winning 41% support, Scharf 30%, with 29% of likely Republican primary voters undecided.

On the Democratic side, attorney Elad Gross is unopposed.

Libertarian Ryan Munroe of St. Louis also is running.

Lieutenant governor

In the Republican race for lieutenant governor, Sen. Lincoln Hough and St. Louis County attorney Dave Wasinger were running a close race, trading leads as different counties results came in.

In early returns Hough had 31% of the vote to Wasinger's 30%.

Wasinger, who made an unsuccessful bid for state auditor in 2018, raised his profile with a slew of advertising in the final weeks of the campaign.

Both Sen. Holly Rehder of Scott City and Wasinger received late endorsem*nts Monday from Trump, but the move was not translating into votes for Rehder early on.

Rehder was pulling about 20% of the vote with 18% of the precincts reporting.

Hough of Springfield, the chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, amassed an array of endorsem*nts from influential lobbying groups as he attempted to fend off two Trump-endorsed candidates to be next in line for governor.

Franklin County Clerk Tim Baker of Robertsville and Paul Berry of Maryland Heights also are seeking the nomination.

On the Democrat side, Rep. Richard Brown of Kansas City was leading Anastasia Syes of St. Louis.

Libertarian Ken Iverson of Lake Saint Louis also is on the ballot.

Secretary of state

Sen. Denny Hoskins, a member of the Senate's obstructionist Freedom Caucus, was leading in the early returns Tuesday to replace Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft as the state's top election official.

But, with eight candidates splitting the vote, the outcome could change as more precincts report.

The wide-open battle includes St. Louis resident Valentina Gomez, state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, political strategist Jamie Corley, House Speaker Dean Plocher, Wentzville Municipal Judge Mike Carter, Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller and Rep. Adam Schwadron of St. Charles County.

The office, which administers the state's elections, has been in the cross-hairs by Republicans after Trump falsley claimed the 2020 election was stolen.

Hoskins and Gomez took up the Trump mantle, calling for the end of machine-counted ballots in favor of hand-counting, which has been shown to be time consuming and less reliable.

Most of their opponents scoffed at the idea.

Corley, a former congressional staffer, appeared on the statewide scene last year when she launched an effort to restore some abortion rights in Missouri, but she suspended that ballot initiative.

Plocher, despite having a healthy campaign account, was hamstrung by an ethics probe that began last year after he allegedly attempted tosteer an $800,000 software contractfor the House around the standard bidding process and then repaid a series of travel bills that he had charged to taxpayers.

The probe was dismissed, but not after Plocher's brand was damaged.

Among Democrats seeking the post, Rep. Barbara Phifer, a former church pastor from Kirkwood, was winning over two St. Louis opponents, Monique Williams and Haley Jacobson.

Libertarian Carl Herman Freese of Foristell also is on the ballot.

Treasurer

Missouri Treasurer Vivek Malek took an early lead in the voting Tuesday in the four-way Republican race to serve as the state’s chief bookkeeper.

Malek, an appointee of Parson and the first person of color to hold statewide office, focused on his support of Trump and a crackdown on immigration.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, Sen. Andrew Koenig and Springfield attorney Lori Rook were trailing with 9% of the precincts reporting.