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Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Review Articles: Missouri State Executive Officials

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December 11, 2012

By Maresa Strano

State Executive Officials

OLYMPIA, Missouri: Five state executive positions were up for election in 2012 in the state of Missouri: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer.

Four incumbents ran for and won re-election on November 6, 2012. The fifth incumbent, secretary of state Robin Carnahan (D), was eligible to seek a third term in 2012, but she chose to retire to the private sector instead.[1] She will be succeeded by state Rep. Jason Kander (D), who narrowly defeated fellow state lawmaker Shane Schoeller (R) to score Carnahan's open seat in the general election. Kander will be sworn in on January 14, 2013.

Here are the candidates who won election.[2](See below for official vote totals)

Office Incumbent General Election Candidates 2015 Winner Partisan Switch?
Governor Jay Nixon
Jay Nixon.jpg		 Democratic Party Jay Nixon
Republican Party Dave Spence
Libertarian Party Jim Higgins		 Democratic Party Jay Nixon No
Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder
Peter Kinder.jpg		 Democratic Party Susan Montee
Republican Party Peter Kinder
Libertarian Party Matthew Copple
Constitution Party Cynthia Davis		 Republican Party Peter Kinder No
Secretary of State Robin Carnahan
Robin Carnahan 1.jpg		 Democratic Party Jason Kander
Republican Party Shane Schoeller
Libertarian Party Cisse Spragins
Constitution Party Justin Harter		 Democratic Party Jason Kander No
Attorney General Chris Koster
Chris Koster.jpg		 Democratic Party Chris Koster
Republican Party Ed Martin
Libertarian Party Dave Browning		 Democratic Party Chris Koster No
Treasurer Clint Zweifel
Clint Zweifel.jpg		 Democratic Party Clint Zweifel
Republican Party Cole McNary
Libertarian Party Sean O'Toole		 Democratic Party Clint Zweifel No


Official Results

Governor

See also: Missouri gubernatorial election, 2012
Governor of Missouri General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJay Nixon Incumbent 54.8% 1,494,056
     Republican Dave Spence 42.5% 1,160,265
     Libertarian Jim Higgins 2.7% 73,509
Total Votes 2,727,830
Election results via Missouri Secretary of State

Lt. Governor

See also: Missouri lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2012
Lieutenant Governor of Missouri General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngPeter Kinder Incumbent 49.3% 1,319,747
     Democratic Susan Montee 45.5% 1,219,457
     Libertarian Matthew Copple 2.8% 75,169
     Constitution Cynthia Davis 2.4% 63,594
Total Votes 2,677,967
Election results via Missouri Secretary of State

Attorney General

See also: Missouri attorney general election, 2012
Attorney General of Missouri General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngChris Koster Incumbent 55.9% 1,491,139
     Republican Ed Martin 40.6% 1,084,106
     Libertarian Dave Browning 3.5% 92,819
Total Votes 2,668,064
Election results via Missouri Secretary of State

Secretary of State

See also: Missouri secretary of state election, 2012
Missouri Secretary of State General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJason Kander 48.9% 1,298,022
     Republican Shane Schoeller 47.4% 1,258,937
     Libertarian Cisse Spragins 2.7% 70,814
     Constitution Justin Harter 1% 27,710
Total Votes 2,655,483
Election results via Missouri Secretary of State

Treasurer

See also: Missouri down ballot state executive elections, 2012
Missouri Treasurer General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngClint Zweifel Incumbent 50.4% 1,332,876
     Republican Cole McNary 45.4% 1,200,368
     Libertarian Sean O'Toole 4.1% 109,188
Total Votes 2,642,432
Election results via Missouri Secretary of State

National picture

States with 2012 executive elections

There were 94 total seats up for election across 22 states this year, including 11 Governors, 9 Lt. Governors, 10 Attorneys General, 7 Secretaries of State and 57 down ballot seats.

  • Before the election, 51 of these offices were held by Democrats, 38 were held by Republicans, and the remaining 4 positions were held by non partisan or Independent officers . After the election, Democrats hold 49 (net loss of 2 seats), Republicans 42 (net gain of 4 seats), and Independents/non partisans only 1 (loss of 3).
  • Of the 69 incumbents who ran for election in 2012, 7 were defeated-6 Democrat and 1 Republican. Democratic Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau narrowly escaped that fate, having had to wait for her challenger to cancel a self-financed recount on December 11, 2012 before being named the official winner.[3]
  • Out of 25 total open seats, 13 were won by Democrats, 11 went to Republican, and 1 went to an Independent (nonpartisan) candidate. In all, there are 34 new state executives as a result of the election. That number could become 35 if the Montana recount results show Juneau's challenger, Republican Sandy Welch, is the winner.
  • From the gubernatorial perspective, after the November 2012 election, there are 30 Republican and 19 Democratic governors.[4] If the GOP had taken five governor seats from Democrats on November 6, that would have given the party 34 -- the most for Republicans since 1922. As of December 2012, the number of Democratic governors in the country is at its lowest since 2001.
2012 State Executive Election Partisan Breakdown
Party Before 2012 Election After 2012 Election Net Change
Democratic 51 50 -1
Republican 38 43 +5
Independent (Nonpartisan) 4 1 -3
TOTALS 931 vacant 94
2012 State Executive Election Analysis
Party Open Seat Winners Defeated Incumbents New State Executives
Democratic 13 6 15
Republican 11 1 18
Independent (Nonpartisan) 1 0 1
TOTALS 25 7 34

See also

Missouri

Footnotes

Ballotpedia News

  1. ↑ Student Life, "Carnahan will not run for office in 2012, to work in private sector," October 13, 2011
  2. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "November 6, 2012 General Election Results," accessed November 7, 2012
  3. ↑ The Missoulian, "Welch drops request for recount in school superintendent race," December 12, 2012
  4. ↑ NPR "Republican Governors Gear Up For Election Gains," October 18, 2012
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