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Missouri Attorney General election, 2024 (August 6 Republican primary)

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2020
Missouri Attorney General
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 26, 2024
Primary: August 6, 2024
General: November 5, 2024

Pre-election incumbent(s):
Andrew Bailey (R)
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Missouri
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2024
Impact of term limits in 2024
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
Missouri
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Treasurer

Incumbent Andrew Bailey (R) defeated Will Scharf (R) in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Missouri on August 6, 2024. Click here for detailed results.

The Kansas City Star's Jonathan Shorman and Kacen Bayless wrote, "With few sharp policy differences, the two candidates are trying to outfox each other in their support for [former President Donald Trump]."[1]

U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) endorsed Bailey.[2] Club for Growth and Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton (R) endorsed Scharf.[3][4] As of June 25, the Republican Attorney General Association (RAGA) had not endorsed either candidate in this primary.[5][6] According to the Associated Press, the organization "normally supports GOP AG incumbents."[5]

Scharf, an attorney for Trump, said, "I think Missouri Republican primary voters appreciate the work that I'm doing for President Trump and I think know, based on how hard I've been fighting for President Trump, I'm always going to fight and win for them."[1] Meanwhile, Bailey said, at the time of the election, he plans to sue the state of New York over Trump's conviction of falsifying business records.[7] He also requested documents from the U.S. Department of Justice regarding the prosecutions of Trump.[1]

Scharf began representing Trump in 2023.[8] Before working for Trump, Scharf was a U.S. Attorney's Office prosecutor for the Eastern District of Missouri.[9] He also served as policy director for Catherine Hanaway's 2016 gubernatorial campaign.[9] Following Hanaway's defeat in the 2016 Republican primary, Scharf worked as policy director for Eric Greitens' 2016 gubernatorial campaign and in his office.[9]

Parson appointed Bailey to serve as Attorney General of Missouri in 2023 after then-Attorney General Schmitt was elected to the U.S. Senate. Before his appointment, Bailey served in the Governor's office as Deputy Counsel and General Counsel.[10] His previous legal experience included working as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the Warren County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and as General Counsel for the Missouri Department of Corrections.[10]

Bailey said, "Missourians deserve to know they have someone willing to step up and fight back against federal government overreach, and that's exactly what I'll continue to do. I will always work to hold out-of-touch bureaucrats accountable and defend the rights of hardworking Missourians."[11]

Scharf said he would "push back against the encroachment of the radical woke left and the overreach of the federal government." Scharf said he believed that "now, more than ever, Missourians need leaders who will boldly confront these challenges and defend conservative principles without compromise."[12]

Will Scharf (R) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.

This page focuses on Missouri's Republican Party Attorney General primary. For more in-depth information on Missouri's Democratic Attorney General primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Missouri

Incumbent Andrew Bailey defeated Will Scharf in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Missouri on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Andrew Bailey
Andrew Bailey
 
63.0
 
413,915
Image of Will Scharf
Will Scharf Candidate Connection
 
37.0
 
243,012

Total votes: 656,927
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Missouri

Election information in Missouri: Aug. 6, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: July 10, 2024
  • By mail: Postmarked by July 10, 2024
  • Online: July 10, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 5, 2024
  • By mail: Received by July 24, 2024
  • Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 6, 2024
  • By mail: Received by Aug. 6, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

July 23, 2024 to Aug. 5, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (CST)


Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of Andrew Bailey

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

Biography:  Bailey received a bachelor's degree and a J.D. from the University of Missouri. Between college and law school, he served in the U.S. Army. Bailey was an assistant attorney general for the Missouri Attorney General's Office, an assistant prosecuting attorney for the Warren County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, and as general counsel for the Missouri Department of Corrections. He also served in the Missouri Governor's Office as deputy counsel and general counsel.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


On public safety, Bailey said, "It's important that we effectively deploy resources at the state level to fight back against violent crime and to find justice for victims."


Bailey said, "I've been vocal about the need for juvenile reform, and I'll continue to push for changes to ensure that perpetrators of violent crimes are appropriately punished."


Regarding firearm regulations, Bailey said, "I will always stand up against unconstitutional over-regulation and stand firm in my defense of the Second Amendment."


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of Missouri in 2024.

Image of Will Scharf

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "“As an attorney for President Trump, I’m in the trenches, battling for the MAGA movement and fighting for its leader. As a lifelong conservative, I’m dedicated to fighting the radical woke left and building a more conservative Missouri."


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


Combatting Violent Crime


Protecting Our Constitutional Rights


Fighting for President Trump

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of Missouri in 2024.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

As one of President Donald J. Trump’s personal attorneys, Scharf has been at the forefront of the legal efforts to defend President Trump and the MAGA Movement against the unprecedented, unconstitutional campaign of lawfare being waged by Joe Biden and his allies. Scharf has been part of the team that has won major victories for President Trump, including at the U.S. Supreme Court. He believes that fighting for our Constitution and the rule of law are more important now than ever before.
Lawyer for Trump who’s actively fighting to preserve the MAGA movement.

Lifelong conservative dedicated to dismantling the radical left. Warrior for law and order with years of experience defending it.

True grassroots conservative.
Conservative Grassroots Attorney General


Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Republican Party Andrew Bailey

February 13, 2024
February 8, 2024

View more ads here:


Republican Party Will Scharf

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Will Scharf while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.


Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

Election Competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.

Election Spending

Campaign finance

Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Click here to access those reports.

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
  • Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
  • State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
  • Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.


See also: Presidential voting trends in Missouri and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Missouri, 2024
District Incumbent Party PVI
Missouri's 1st Cori Bush Electiondot.png Democratic D+27
Missouri's 2nd Ann Wagner Ends.png Republican R+7
Missouri's 3rd Blaine Luetkemeyer Ends.png Republican R+16
Missouri's 4th Mark Alford Ends.png Republican R+23
Missouri's 5th Emanuel Cleaver Electiondot.png Democratic D+11
Missouri's 6th Sam Graves Ends.png Republican R+21
Missouri's 7th Eric Burlison Ends.png Republican R+24
Missouri's 8th Jason Smith Ends.png Republican R+28


2020 presidential results by 2024 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, Missouri[13]
District Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
Missouri's 1st 78.4% 20.0%
Missouri's 2nd 45.3% 53.0%
Missouri's 3rd 35.9% 62.2%
Missouri's 4th 29.3% 68.7%
Missouri's 5th 62.2% 35.9%
Missouri's 6th 30.6% 67.7%
Missouri's 7th 28.4% 69.8%
Missouri's 8th 23.6% 75.0%


2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2020 presidential election, 64.2% of Missourians lived in one of the state's 111 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 35.8% lived in one of four Solid Democratic counties. Overall, Missouri was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Missouri following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.[14]

Historical voting trends

Missouri presidential election results (1900-2020)

  • 14 Democratic wins
  • 17 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Winning Party D R R D D R R R D D D D D R D D D R R D R R R D D R R R R R R

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Missouri

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Missouri.

U.S. Senate election results in Missouri
Race Winner Runner up
2022 55.4%Republican Party 42.2%Democratic Party
2018 51.4%Republican Party 45.6%Democratic Party
2016 49.3%Republican Party 46.2%Democratic Party
2012 54.8%Democratic Party 39.0%Republican Party
2010 54.3%Republican Party 40.6%Democratic Party
Average 51.9 43.7

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Missouri

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Missouri.

Gubernatorial election results in Missouri
Race Winner Runner up
2020 57.1%Republican Party 40.7%Democratic Party
2016 51.1%Republican Party 45.6%Democratic Party
2012 54.8%Democratic Party 42.5%Republican Party
2008 58.4%Democratic Party 39.5%Republican Party
2004 50.8%Republican Party 47.8%Democratic Party
Average 54.4 43.2
See also: Party control of Missouri state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Missouri's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Missouri
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 2 2
Republican 2 6 8
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 8 10

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Missouri's top four state executive offices as May 2024.

State executive officials in Missouri, May 2024
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Mike Parson
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Mike Kehoe
Secretary of State Republican Party Jay Ashcroft
Attorney General Republican Party Andrew Bailey

State legislature

Missouri State Senate

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 10
     Republican Party 24
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 34

Missouri House of Representatives

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 51
     Republican Party 111
     Other 0
     Vacancies 1
Total 163

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Missouri Party Control: 1992-2024
Eight years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twelve years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Governor R D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

The table below details demographic data in Missouri and compares it to the broader United States as of 2022.

Demographic Data for Missouri
Missouri United States
Population 6,154,913 331,449,281
Land area (sq mi) 68,745 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 79.4% 65.9%
Black/African American 11.3% 12.5%
Asian 2.1% 5.8%
Native American 0.3% 0.8%
Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.2%
Other (single race) 1.5% 6%
Multiple 5.4% 8.8%
Hispanic/Latino 4.6% 18.7%
Education
High school graduation rate 91.3% 89.1%
College graduation rate 31.2% 34.3%
Income
Median household income $65,920 $75,149
Persons below poverty level 8.5% 8.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

State profile

Demographic data for Missouri
 MissouriU.S.
Total population:6,076,204316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):68,7423,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:82.6%73.6%
Black/African American:11.5%12.6%
Asian:1.8%5.1%
Native American:0.4%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
Two or more:2.4%3%
Hispanic/Latino:3.9%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:88.4%86.7%
College graduation rate:27.1%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$48,173$53,889
Persons below poverty level:18.2%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Missouri.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Missouri

Missouri voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.


More Missouri coverage on Ballotpedia

Election Context

Missouri Attorney General election history

2020

See also: Missouri Attorney General election, 2020

General election

General election for Attorney General of Missouri

Incumbent Eric Schmitt defeated Richard Finneran and Kevin Babcock in the general election for Attorney General of Missouri on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Eric Schmitt
Eric Schmitt (R)
 
59.4
 
1,752,792
Image of Richard Finneran
Richard Finneran (D) Candidate Connection
 
37.9
 
1,117,713
Kevin Babcock (L)
 
2.7
 
81,100

Total votes: 2,951,605
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Missouri

Richard Finneran defeated Elad Gross in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Missouri on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Richard Finneran
Richard Finneran Candidate Connection
 
55.4
 
272,516
Image of Elad Gross
Elad Gross Candidate Connection
 
44.6
 
219,462

Total votes: 491,978
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Missouri

Incumbent Eric Schmitt advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Missouri on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Eric Schmitt
Eric Schmitt
 
100.0
 
602,577

Total votes: 602,577
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Attorney General of Missouri

Kevin Babcock advanced from the Libertarian primary for Attorney General of Missouri on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Kevin Babcock
 
100.0
 
4,089

Total votes: 4,089
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Missouri Attorney General election, 2016

The general election for attorney general was held on November 8, 2016.

Josh Hawley defeated Teresa Hensley in the Missouri attorney general election.

Missouri Attorney General, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Josh Hawley 61.10% 1,389,196
     Democratic Teresa Hensley 38.90% 884,354
Total Votes 2,273,550
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

2012

See also: Missouri attorney general election, 2012

Incumbent Chris Koster (D) won second term as attorney general on November 6, 2012.[15]

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


2024 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This was a battleground election. Other 2024 battleground elections included:

See also

Missouri State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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Missouri State Executive Offices
Missouri State Legislature
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Missouri elections: 2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes