JEFFERSON CITY — Gov. Mike Parson has pledged his full support to Andrew Bailey, his general counsel and pick for attorney general, ahead of a potential Republican primary in 2024.
But that promise of support hasn’t silenced chatter about a competitive GOP contest for the post, one that could include some of the people who had hoped to get Parson’s nod for the job.
Bailey is set to replace Eric Schmitt, a Republican who was elected to the U.S. Senate on Nov. 8.
In announcing his choice on Wednesday, Parson said Bailey would “have the full resources of the governor of the state of Missouri.â€
“On the political side, I’ll do everything I can,†Parson added.
In addition to touting Bailey’s legal credentials and experience in the Army, Parson said he wanted stability after the last two attorneys general — Schmitt and Schmitt’s predecessor, Josh Hawley — announced their Senate campaigns shortly after clinching the attorney general post.
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Parson said one of his considerations was “making sure they were going to stay in that position for a number of years.â€
A political newcomer, Bailey doesn’t yet have wide name recognition or flush political accounts, which could help deter Republican competition.
Bailey also faces the politically daunting task of deciding whether to pull out of any of Schmitt’s controversial lawsuits, potentially opening him up to criticism from the right.
With Parson standing behind him during a press conference Wednesday, Bailey wouldn’t commit to continuing individual lawsuits. “We’re going to look at everything the office has, everything the office is doing, the resources that are available, the personnel that are available,†Bailey said. “I can’t commit to precise lawsuits.â€
Parson, who has said he wouldn’t seek any political office when his term ends after the 2024 election, hasn’t built a reputation on pushing controversial national topics, at least compared to GOP counterparts such as Schmitt, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
“I’m not sure what that’s all about,†Parson said in 2020 when asked about Schmitt’s headline-grabbing lawsuit against China over COVID-19. The lawsuit prompted state officials to brace for potential retaliation by the Chinese government, according to records the Post-Dispatch obtained.
Schmitt hadn’t congratulated Bailey on Twitter as of Friday afternoon, a break with Hawley, who cheered Schmitt’s appointment as attorney general after Hawley was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018.
Hawley at the time called Schmitt “a constitutional conservative†with “a proven track record of standing up for taxpayers & citizens.â€
Potential opening
Jean Evans, former executive director of the Missouri Republican Party, said “if he (Bailey) comes out and raises a lot of money, that will scare off some candidates.â€
On Friday, at least two Republicans wouldn’t dismiss the idea of running when asked.
John Wood, a former U.S. attorney for Missouri’s western district, who briefly ran as an independent candidate for U.S. Senate this year, said Friday “I’m honored by the support that I had in my race for the U.S. Senate, but I have not made any decisions beyond that.â€
He stressed that despite running as an independent, he was still a Republican.
Wood abandoned his campaign after Schmitt defeated Greitens in the Aug. 2 primary. Greitens’ ex-wife accused him of abuse and the ex-governor caused controversy for a campaign ad depicting a hunt for fellow Republicans.
“Running an unaffiliated campaign was because of the unique circumstances where (former Gov.) Greitens was the potential Republican nominee,†Wood said. “But I never left the Republican Party.â€
A second Republican was noncommittal Friday.
“I’m looking forward to hopefully having more opportunities to serve the people of Missouri in the coming years,†said Will Scharf, who said his last day as an assistant U.S. attorney in St. Louis was Tuesday.
The former policy director for Greitens didn’t deny that he was considering a run for attorney general in 2024.
“I don’t have any announcement or news to give you at this time,†Scharf said.
The governor’s campaign or allied Uniting Missouri PAC could step in to support Bailey.
John Hancock, spokesman for Uniting Missouri, said he “has had no conversations along those lines.â€
Parson had a combined $303,000 between his campaign account and Uniting Missouri heading into October, far less than other potential contenders for attorney general.
Buckets of cash
Running against the governor’s preferred candidate could cause headaches for certain legislative Republicans, which might factor into whether they run or announce a bid in the near term.
Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, a Parkville Republican, reported $870,000 in his campaign account at the end of October with another $25,000 in his allied Tony PAC.
Luetkemeyer easily won reelection on Nov. 8. Days later he changed the name of his campaign account from “Luetkemeyer for Senate†to “Luetkemeyer for Missouri.â€
The attorney changed his paperwork to say he was seeking an unspecified “statewide office†in the Aug. 6, 2024, primary. Luetkemeyer didn’t respond to a phone call on Friday.
Another attorney, incoming House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, has buckets of campaign cash and is unable to run for reelection to the House in 2024.
The Plocher for Missouri campaign account reported $464,000 on hand as of late last month, according to ethics commission records.
Plocher’s Missouri United PAC had $583,000 on hand at the end of October. Plocher, through a spokesman, declined to comment for this article.
Tim Garrison, the former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri, also did not immediately respond to a phone call Friday. Garrison doesn’t currently have a campaign account.
Originally posted at 1:45 p.m. Frday, Nov. 25.