New candidates enter races for Missouri primaries ahead of Tuesday's deadline
BY GREGG PALERMO MISSOURI
UPDATED 5:30 PM CT MAR. 26, 2024 PUBLISHED 5:42 PM CT MAR. 25, 2024
ST. LOUIS——At last month's Missouri Republican Party's Lincoln Days festivities, there was a bit of a running gag among the crowd of party activists and candidates gathered at a hotel near Kansas City International Airport. Everyone, it seems, was running for lieutenant governor. A field that was already crowded was getting bigger, as State Sen. Lincoln Hough confirmed his candidacy that weekend, and soon after, David Wasinger, who ran previously for auditor in 2018, did as well.
But as the minutes ticked down to Tuesday's March 26 5 p.m. deadline to file for the Aug. 6 primary, a new "hot race" emerged.
Tuesday started with House Speaker Dean Plocher, who was in the lieutenant governor race, switching to secretary of state, after Jamie Corley, a former congressional staffer who most recently lead an effort to champion an abortion-related initiative petition campaign, entered the race Monday. With less than two hours before the deadline, Missouri State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, of Arnold, who had been in the race for the third congressional district seat, also got into the secretary of state field. With minutes to spare, Wentzville municipal judge Mike Carter, who narrowly lost a 2022 state senate primary to Travis Fitzwater and has previously run for statewide office, also got into the field which runs eight deep, including State Sen. Denny Hoskins, Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller, State Rep. Adam Schwadron and Valentina Gomez, of St. Louis.
State Rep. Barbara Phifer, of Kirkwood, and Monique Williams and Haley Jacobson, both of St. Louis, round out the Democratic field. Libertarian Carl Freese, of Foristell filed on Friday.
There were also new developments in the race for state treasurer on the final day of filing. The incumbent, Vivek Malek, officially got into the GOP primary to hold the office in his own right after being appointed last year by Gov. Mike Parson. Also filing on the Republican side of the race was Tina Goodrick, who previously ran for seats in the Missouri House in the St. Joseph area, and Karan Pujji, of Berkeley.
After going the entire filing period without a Democratic party candidate, the race got one Tuesday afternoon in former congressional candidate Mark Osmack. Libertarian John Hartwig filed for the race on Monday.
Not to be left out, there was more movement into the race for lieutenant governor as well on the final day. Matthew Porter, a St. Louis area businessman filed on the Republican side, joining Franklin County Clerk Tim Baker, State Sen. Holly Rehder, former St. Louis County Executive candidate Paul Berry III, Hough and Wasinger. Democrat Anastasia Syes, of St. Louis filed on the Democratic side, joining State Rep. Richard Brown, the assistant minority floor leader, of Kansas City.
There was a new development on the final day of filing in the race for governor. State Rep. Sarah Unsicker, the Shrewsbury Democrat who previously tried to file for the race on Feb. 27 but was denied when the party would not accept her filing fee, said she was rejected again Tuesday. Unsicker could still gather signatures to run as an independent.
Springfield businessman Mike Hamra officially joined the field of Democrats running for governor Monday. He announced his candidacy last fall but had yet to file.
House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, also of Springfield, Eric Morrison, of Lee's Summit, Sheryl Gladney, of St. Charles, Hollis Laster, of Normandy have already filed to run in the Democratic primary.
There were no changes among the three main GOP candidates running for the governor's mansion: Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and State Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring.
Bill Slantz, a Libertarian from St. Charles, is also running.
A complete list of statewide, congressional and state legislative candidates can be seen here.
The Tuesday deadline also applies for county-level posts as well as the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's office. Barring a late surprise, Gabe Gore, who was appointed by Gov. Parson to replace Kim Gardner last May, will be unopposed in the August primary or November's general election.
