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Kurt Schaefer
Kurt Schaefer is the Missouri Director of Natural Resources. He assumed office on January 13, 2025.
Schaefer (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Missouri's 3rd Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on August 6, 2024.
Governor-elect Mike Kehoe (R) appointed Schaefer as the Missouri Director of Natural Resources on December 19, 2024, to replace Dru Buntin.[1]
Biography
Schaefer earned his B.A. in geography from the University of Missouri in 1990 and his J.D./M.A. in environmental law from Vermont Law School in 1995. His professional experience includes serving as special counsel to the Missouri Department of Agriculture and to the governor and working as deputy director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, adjunct instructor of agricultural economics at the University of Missouri, assistant attorney general/special prosecutor and counsel for the Missouri attorney general's office, associate attorney for Lathrop and Gage, L.C., general counsel/deputy director of the Department of Natural Resources, and partner at Lathrop and Gage, L.C.
Elections
2024
See also: Missouri's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024
Missouri's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (August 6 Republican primary)
Missouri's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (August 6 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Missouri District 3
Bob Onder defeated Bethany Mann, Jordan Rowden, and William Hastings in the general election for U.S. House Missouri District 3 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Bob Onder (R) | 61.3 | 240,620 |
 | Bethany Mann (D)  | 35.3 | 138,532 | |
 | Jordan Rowden (L) | 2.4 | 9,298 | |
| William Hastings (G) | 1.0 | 4,013 | ||
| Total votes: 392,463 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 3
Bethany Mann defeated Andrew Daly in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Missouri District 3 on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bethany Mann | 73.5 | 25,769 |
 | Andrew Daly | 26.5 | 9,313 | |
| Total votes: 35,082 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Andrew Loague (D)
- Jon Karlen (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 3
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Missouri District 3 on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bob Onder | 47.4 | 48,833 |
 | Kurt Schaefer | 37.2 | 38,375 | |
 | Bruce Bowman | 4.4 | 4,508 | |
 | Justin Hicks (Unofficially withdrew) | 4.3 | 4,425 | |
 | Kyle Bone | 3.4 | 3,548 | |
 | Chadwick Bicknell | 1.8 | 1,842 | |
| Arnie Dienoff | 1.5 | 1,560 | ||
| Total votes: 103,091 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mary Coleman (R)
- Brandon Wilkinson (R)
Libertarian primary election
Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 3
Jordan Rowden advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House Missouri District 3 on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jordan Rowden | 100.0 | 356 |
| Total votes: 356 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Schaefer received the following endorsements.
- U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R)
2016
- See also: Missouri Attorney General election, 2016
Schaefer ran for the Republican attorney general nomination in 2016. He competed with Josh Hawley in the August 2 Republican primary election.
Josh Hawley defeated Kurt Schaefer in the Missouri Republican primary for attorney general.
| Missouri Republican primary for attorney general, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Josh Hawley |
64.22% | 415,702 |
| Kurt Schaefer | 35.78% | 231,657 |
| Total Votes (3214 of 3214 precincts reporting) | 647,359 | |
| Source: Missouri Secretary of State | ||
Campaign finance
| Kurt Schaefer Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| 10/1/2015-12/31/2015 | 1/15/2016 | $1,485,926.80 | $650,055.00 | $(59,935.86) | $2,071,695.94 | ||||
| 1/1/2016-3/31/2016 | 4/15/2016 | $2,071,695.94 | $93,363.00 | $(82,615.70) | $2,082,443.24 | ||||
| Second quarter | 4/1/2016-6/30/2016 | $2,082,443.24 | $608,743.29 | $(1,424,876.91) | $1,266,309.62 | ||||
| Pre-primary | 7/1/2016-7/21/2016 | $1,266,309.62 | $1,580,611.56 | $(2,050,706.72) | $796,214.46 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $2,932,772.85 | $(3,618,135.19) | ||||||||
Republican primary endorsements
| Key endorsements, Republican primary candidates | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Hawley | Kurt Schaefer | ||||||||
| Former Attorney General and U.S. Senator John Danforth (R) | Speaker of the House Todd Richardson (R) | ||||||||
| Family Research Council | Senate Majority Floor Leader Mike Kehoe (R) | ||||||||
| National Review magazine | Senate President Pro Tempore Ron Richard (R) | ||||||||
| Citizens United's political action committee | Senate Majority Whip Brian Munzlinger (R) | ||||||||
| Former U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese | Missouri State Troopers Association | ||||||||
| Former Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal (R) | National Rifle Association | ||||||||
| Gun Owners of America | Missouri Right to Life | ||||||||
| Former U.S. Senator Kit Bond (R) | |||||||||
| Family Research Council | |||||||||
| St. Louis Post-Dispatch | |||||||||
| What is a key endorsement? | |||||||||
2012
- See also: Missouri State Senate elections, 2012
Schaefer won re-election in the 2012 election for Missouri State Senate, District 19. Schaefer ran unopposed in the August 7 Republican primary and defeated Mary Wynne Still (D) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[2][3]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kurt Schaefer Incumbent |
57.9% | 47,067 | |
| Democratic | Mary Wynne Still | 42.1% | 34,216 | |
| Total Votes | 81,283 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Schaefer won election to the 19th District seat in the Missouri State Senate, defeating opponents Chuck Graham (D) and Christopher Dwyer (L).[4]
| Missouri State Senate, District 19 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Kurt Schaefer (R)
|
44,265 | 48.5% | ||
| Chuck Graham (D) | 42,732 | 46.8% | ||
| Christopher Dwyer (L) | 4,286 | 4.7% | ||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kurt Schaefer did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Schaefer’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Kurt Schaefer Securing Our Border Fiscal Champion Pro-Life Champion Protecting #2A Supporting President Trump |
” |
| —Kurt Schaefer’s campaign website (2024)[6] | ||
2016
Schaefer's campaign website pointed to his experience in state government as qualification for the office of attorney general:[7]
| “ | Kurt fought Governor Nixon on safety at the Lake of the Ozarks when there was an E. Coli. outbreak that Nixon tried to ignore. The Governor placed priority on tourism and income rather than on public safety
Kurt successfully protected communities by shutting down polluting businesses but has also defended unfair and harsh regulations by overzealous regulators. Schaefer negotiated multi-million dollar settlements for those who deserve it, whether public or private By working with regulators, public officials, and organization officials Kurt accomplished things that previous Gubernatorial administrations could not. This is exemplified by his bringing Missouri into line with federal law in establishing water quality standards ... Kurt has been Counsel for the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Department of Public Safety, and the Missouri Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission Kurt has written and edited several chapters of the Missouri Prosecutors Casebook and Formbook[5] |
” |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Issues
Presidential preference
2012
Kurt Schaefer endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.[8]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Schaefer and his wife, Stacia, have three children.
Noteworthy events
Ethics investigation (2016)
On January 19, 2016, Tim Wolfe, the former president of the University of Missouri system, wrote a letter stating that Kurt Schaefer had lobbied Wolfe in an attempt to prevent Republican competitor for attorney general Josh Hawley from running in the primary election.[9] At the time of the election, Hawley taught law at the University of Missouri law school, which is part of the University of Missouri system for which Wolfe was president. Wolfe stated that Schaefer asked Wolfe to remove Hawley's "right to ask for an unpaid leave of absence" while running for public office. Wolfe elaborated on his response to Schaefer: "When I questioned the fairness of this and I refused to budge on his right to run for office, he then asked me to get in the middle of the tenure decision for Mister Hawley, which I refused as well".[10]
Schaefer responded to the letter Wolfe wrote, saying, "I think what he says about me is not true and wrong and I don't see anything truthful in that letter."[11]
On May 5, 2016, the Missouri Ethics Commission announced an investigation into the allegations that Schaefer misused his office to hurt Hawley's ability to run for office. The investigation stemmed from a complaint made by the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust. Though the complaint was initially rejected, the commission approved a second complaint filed by the foundation the following week, which asserted that the commission was bound by law to investigate Schaefer. An attorney for the foundation stated that the commission's initial refusal "raise[d] serious ethical questions."[12]
The foundation's complaint against Schaefer included allegations of misconduct and bribery.[12] Schaefer responded to the investigation in an email to KRCG: "The claims made by Professor Josh Hawley's secretly-funded D.C.-based entity are completely false. At no point in time did I ever advocate for a change in the University of Missouri's policies regarding leave. I did, however, urge the University multiple times to follow the policies they had in place. I look forward to Professor Hawley revealing who is paying to file these baseless claims."[13]
The commission dismissed the complaint on August 15, 2016, stating that they found no evidence that Schaefer's conversation with Wolfe was had with the intent of personal gain.[14]
State legislative tenure
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Missouri scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2017
In 2017, the Missouri General Assembly was in session from January 4 through May 12. The legislature held its first special session from May 22 to May 26. The legislature held its second special session from June 12 to July 25. The legislature held a special session on September 13.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
|---|
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In 2016, the Missouri General Assembly was in session from January 6 through May 13.
|
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2015, the Missouri General Assembly was in session from January 7 through May 15.
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the Missouri General Assembly was in session from January 8 through May 19.
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Missouri General Assembly was in session from January 9 through May 30.
|
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Schaefer served on the following committees:
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Schaefer served on the following committees:
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Schaefer served on the following committees:
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Schaefer served on the following committees:
| Missouri committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment |
| • Education |
| • Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight |
| • Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence |
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ KFVS 12, "Governor-Elect announces Kurt Schaefer as Director of Missouri Department of Natural Resources," December 19, 2024
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "State of Missouri - Primary Election - August 7, 2012," accessed October 22, 2014
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "State of Missouri - General Election - November 6, 2012," accessed October 22, 2014
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State - 2008 General Election Results
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Kurt Schaefer’s campaign website, “Priorities,” accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Schaefer, "On the record," accessed July 5, 2016
- ↑ Mitt Romney, "Mitt Romney Announces Support of Missouri Leaders," January 12, 2012
- ↑ Columbia Tribune, "Wolfe accuses Schaefer of 'pressuring' him to block Hawley from AG race", January 27, 2016; retrieved February 11, 2016
- ↑ Kansas City Star, "Tim Wolfe: Kurt Schaefer pressured me to undermine primary foe’s candidacy", January 27, 2016
- ↑ ABC News 17, "Missouri AG candidates respond to former UM System President's claims", January 27, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Missourian, "Missouri Ethics Commission reverses course, will investigate Schaefer," May 5, 2016
- ↑ KRCG, "Schaefer responds to ethics investigation," May 6, 2016
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs nameddismissed
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dru Buntin |
Missouri Director of Natural Resources 2025-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Missouri State Senate District 19 2009-2017 |
Succeeded by - |
| ||||||||||||||
