Missouri gubernatorial election, 2016

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Missouri Gubernatorial Election

Primary Date: August 2, 2016

General Election Date: November 8, 2016

November Election Winner: Eric Greitens (R)

Incumbent Prior to Election: Jay Nixon (D)

State Executive Elections Top Ballot Governor • Lt. Gov. Attorney General • Secretary of State Treasurer Down Ballot None

Missouri's gubernatorial election in 2016 was one of the most-watched contests for governor in 2016. Republican Eric Greitens won the seat—which had previously been held by a Democrat—giving the Republican Party trifecta control of the state.

HIGHLIGHTS

Democratic Governor Jay Nixon was ineligible for re-election due to term limits.

Former Navy Seal and nonprofit CEO Eric Greitens (R) defeated Attorney General Chris Koster in the November general election. Greitens' victory earned Republicans trifecta control of the state.

Eric Greitens defeated Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, businessman John Brunner, and former state House Speaker Catherine Hanaway in the August 2 Republican primary election.

The race was rated as a Toss-up.

Overview

Going into the November 2016 elections, Missouri had a divided government, with Republicans controlling the state legislature and Democrats holding the governor's seat. With Eric Greitens' (R) gubernatorial victory, Missouri joined the growing list of Republican state government trifectas around the country. Heading into the 2016 elections, Republicans had trifecta control of 23 states; Democrats had trifecta control of seven.

Attorney General Chris Koster defeated civil rights activist Eric Morrison, retired truck driver Leonard Steinman, and former state Senator Charles B. Wheeler in the August 2, 2016, Democratic primary election. Polls and fundraising activity leading up to the primary election had suggested Koster would easily win the nomination.

Four Republican candidates—businessman John Brunner, former Navy SEAL and nonprofit CEO Eric Greitens, former state House Speaker Catherine Hanaway, and Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder—were competing for the Republican nomination. Polls conducted over the month leading up to the primary offered conflicting results, though Kinder consistently polled lower than his three opponents. Brunner and Greitens led the GOP race in fundraising, reporting a total of $6.3 million and $6 million, respectively, in total contributions as of eight days before the August 2 primary. The two candidates also released the most campaign advertisements; Hanaway and Greitens earned the most key endorsements. On July 29, the Democratic Governors Association released an ad criticizing the integrity of a donor to Greiten's campaign, suggesting that they viewed Greitens as a potential challenge. Greitens went on to win the Republican primary election on August 2, 2016.

Libertarian Cisse Spragins, unopposed in her party's primary, competed with Greitens and Koster in November. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jay Nixon was term-limited. Greitens won the general election on November 8, 2016, with Koster conceding the race on election night. Greitens' victory earned the Republican Party trifecta control of the state.

Candidates and results

Candidates

Chris Koster (D)
Attorney general of Missouri since 2009

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Eric Greitens (R)
Nonprofit executive, former Navy SEAL

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Cisse Spragins (Lib.)
2012 Libertarian candidate for secretary of state

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Don Fitz (Green Party)
Unknown

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Lester Turilli Jr. (Ind.)
Unknown

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Click [show] to see candidates who were defeated in the primary elections or who withdrew from this race.

Defeated in the primary elections Prominent candidates Ballotpedia uses a variety of standards to determine which candidates will feature prominently in a given race. Eric Morrison (D) Pastor and civil rights activist Charles B. Wheeler (D) State Sen., 2003-2007 John Brunner (R) Businessman Catherine Hanaway (R) Attorney, former state representative Peter Kinder (R) Lieutenant governor of Missouri since 2005 Other candidates Leonard Steinman (D) - Retired truck driver Withdrawn Randy Asbury (R)- Former member of the Missouri House of Representatives Bob Dixon (R)- Missouri State Senator Tom Schweich (R)- Former Missouri state auditor (deceased) Mike Parson (R)- Missouri state senator Martin Lindstedt (Lib.)

Results

General election

Eric Greitens defeated Chris Koster, Cisse Spragins, Lester Turilli, and Don Fitz in the Missouri governor election.

Missouri Governor, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Eric Greitens	51.29%	1,424,730
	Democratic	Chris Koster	45.40%	1,261,110
	Libertarian	Cisse Spragins	1.47%	40,718
	Independent	Lester Turilli Jr.	1.07%	29,774
	Green	Don Fitz	0.75%	20,785
		Write-in votes	0.03%	737
Total Votes				2,777,854
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

Primary election results

Democratic primary election

Chris Koster defeated Eric Morrison, Charles B. Wheeler, and Leonard Steinman in the Missouri Democratic primary for governor.

Missouri Democratic primary for governor, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Chris Koster	78.75%	256,272
Eric Morrison	9.67%	31,474
Charles B. Wheeler	7.91%	25,756
Leonard Steinman	3.66%	11,911
Total Votes (3214 of 3214 precincts reporting)		325,413
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

Republican primary election

Eric Greitens defeated John Brunner, Peter Kinder, and Catherine Hanaway in the Missouri Republican primary for governor.

Missouri Republican primary for governor, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Eric Greitens	34.56%	236,481
John Brunner	24.79%	169,620
Peter Kinder	20.70%	141,629
Catherine Hanaway	19.95%	136,521
Total Votes (3214 of 3214 precincts reporting)		684,251
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

Libertarian primary election

Cisse Spragins ran unopposed in the Missouri Libertarian primary for governor.

Missouri Libertarian primary for governor, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Cisse Spragins  (unopposed)	100.00%	3,515
Total Votes (3214 of 3214 precincts reporting)		3,515
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

About the primary

A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. Missouri utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

Missouri's primary elections took place on August 2, 2016.

Party control

Missouri Party Control: 1992-2025
Eight years of Democratic trifectas  •  Thirteen 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	25
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	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	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	R

Missouri had a divided government after Governor Jay Nixon (D) assumed office in 2009, which ended a four-year Republican trifecta. Prior to that, Democrats had trifecta control of the state government from 1993 to 2000. The governorship in Missouri tended to alternate party hands from the 1970s to the 2016 election, with no party controlling the seat for more than 12 years continuously. Democrat Claire McCaskill represented Missouri in the U.S. Senate from 2007 to the 2016 election; she served alongside Roy Blunt (R), who was elected in 2011.

Debates

Republican primary debate, February 22, 2016

Missouri Times debate on February 22, 2016

Three of the four candidates for the Republican nomination debated on February 22, 2016, in Jefferson City, with John Brunner, Catherine Hanaway, and Peter Kinder participating. Eric Greitens declined to attend due to scheduling conflicts. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch characterized the debate as reinforcing "what has been seen in earlier events at which two or more of the GOP candidates speak: Their differences are mostly style and resume." The three candidates agreed on most of the issues put forth, including abortion, tax cuts, and gun rights. All three candidates also spoke out against Obamacare and in favor of right-to-work legislation.

Notably missing was the growing tension between Brunner and Greitens due to the latter's absence. Animosity between the two candidates began in late 2015 after Brunner secretly recorded a phone call between the two in which Greitens repeatedly refers to Brunner as a "weasel." Audio clips from the call later surfaced in a series of ads opposing Greitens, who claimed Brunner was behind the ads.

Republican primary debate, March 17, 2016

Columbia Chamber of Commerce debate on March 17, 2016

The first televised debate between gubernatorial candidates for the GOP nomination took place on March 17, 2016, In Columbia, Missouri.

Catherine Hanaway, John Brunner, and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder criticized Eric Greitens for keeping a $1 million campaign contribution from billionaire Michael Goguen. In March 2016, Goguen was accused of sexual abuse in a private lawsuit; no formal charges had yet been filed. "I'm not going to convict someone in the court of public opinion," Greitens replied.

The candidates also discussed budget cuts for the University of Missouri System recently passed by the state legislature. Kinder, Brunner, and Hanaway offered support for the cuts to varying degrees, while Greitens stated that the cuts would ultimately hurt students.

Republican primary debate, May 10, 2016

The four Republican candidates for governor debated on May 10, 2016, at Missouri State University in Springfield. The candidates discussed Medicaid expansion, tax policy, funding for education and transportation, and the state's religious freedom bill, and their particular qualifications for the office. All four criticized Obamacare and stated that they opposed the expansion of Medicaid; Kinder supported an increase in fuel tax while the other three candidates opposed it.

Watch full clips of this debate here.

Republican primary debate, June 6, 2016

All four Republican candidates debated on June 6, 2016, at the Jefferson City headquarters of the Missouri Farm Bureau. The candidates discussed issues such as whether or not they would support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the presidential primary; Kinder and Greitens reserved judgment while Hanaway and Brunner said they would. Tax policy also featured prominently in the debate: Kinder and Hanaway criticized the state's income tax, Greiten proposed eliminating special treatment for business that lobby, and Brunner touted his extensive business experience.

The four candidates also discussed recent racial tension in the state and improvements to the University of Missouri system. Hanaway proposed to cut administrative costs and stated that professors should teach more classes, a position Greitens called negative. Hanaway and Kinder both accused Greitens of mischaracterizing candidates' statements on issues; Brunner denounced the attack ads against him.

Watch the full video of this debate here.

Republican primary debate, July 13, 2016

All four Republican primary candidates debated on July 13, 2016, in St. Charles, Missouri. The debate largely focused on the issues of racial tension in the state and how the candidates would have dealt with the protests that followed the 2014 police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Subsequent fatal police shootings of black men in several states have incited protests nationwide.

All four candidates expressed support for the law enforcement community, criticized incumbent Governor Nixon's response to the 2014 shooting, and expressed support for broad gun rights legislation. Lt. Governor Kinder stated he would work to build relationships between the governor's office and the leaders of predominantly black communities. Hanaway asserted that law enforcement should be capable of "overwhelming force" and should wear body cameras to increase officer accountability. Greitens said that his military service would help prepare him to navigate relationships with law enforcement and that he would have instituted a curfew following protests. Brunner called for a focus on job creation, as jobs can "make a big different for hope and opportunity," he said.

Watch the full video of this debate here.

Republican primary debate, July 27, 2016

All four Republican candidates debated on July 27, 2016, in an event co-hosted by KMBC and the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.

Watch the full video of this debate here.

Race tracking

Race Ratings: Missouri Governor
Race Tracker	Race Ratings
The Cook Political Report	Toss-up	Toss-up
Governing	Lean Democrat	Lean Democrat
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Toss-up	Toss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Toss-up	Lean Democrat
Daily Kos Race Ratings	Toss-up	Toss-up
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

Polls

Chris Koster (D) vs. Eric Greitens (R)
Poll	Koster	Greitens	Margin of error	Sample size
Remington Research (October 9-11, 2016)	48%	42%	+/-2.1	2,171
Monmouth (October 9-11, 2016)	46%	43%	+/-4.9	406
Remington Research (September 26-27, 2016)	51%	35%	+/-3	1,279
Remington Research (September 1-2, 2016)	46%	42%	+/-3	1,275
Monmouth (August 19-22, 2016)	51%	40%	+/-4.9	401
Public Policy Polling (August 7-9, 2016)	40%	34%	+/-3.3	859
Remington Research (August 5-6, 2016)	45%	43%	+/-3	1,280
AVERAGES	46.71%	39.86%	+/-3.46	1,095.86
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Click [show] to view polling information from the primary election season.

Democratic primary match-up: Chris Koster, Eric Morrison, Charles Wheeler, and Leonard Steinman Poll Steinman Koster Morrison Wheeler Undecided Margin of error Sample size SurveyUSA for KSDK July 20-July 17, 2016 3% 57% 7% 7% 26% +/-3.6 2,546 Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. Hypothetical general election match up: Democrat Chris Koster and Republican Peter Kinder Poll Chris Koster Peter Kinder Not sure Margin of error Public Policy Polling August 11, 2015 37% 40% 24% +/-4.7 Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. Hypothetical general election match up: Democrat Chris Koster and Republican Eric Greitens Poll Chris Koster Eric Greitens Not sure Margin of error Public Policy Polling August 11, 2015 40% 34% 26% +/-4.7 Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. Hypothetical general election match up: Democrat Chris Koster and Republican Catherine Hanaway Poll Chris Koster Catherine Hanaway Not sure Margin of error Public Policy Polling August 11, 2015 40% 36% 23% +/-4.7 Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. Hypothetical general election match up: Democrat Chris Koster and Republican John Brunner Poll Chris Koster John Brunner Not sure Margin of error Public Policy Polling August 11, 2015 41% 36% 23% +/-4.7 Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. Republican primary match up: Randy Asbury, John Brunner, Bob Dixon, Eric Greitens, Catherine Hanaway, Peter Kinder, and Bart Korman Poll Randy Asbury John Brunner Bob Dixon Eric Greitens Catherine Hanaway Peter Kinder Bart Korman Note sure Margin of error Public Policy Polling August 11, 2015 5% 9% 7% 4% 11% 27% 0% 37% +/-4.7 Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. Republican primary match up: Catherine Hanaway, Peter Kinder, John Brunner and Eric Greitens Poll Peter Kinder Catherine Hanaway John Brunner Eric Greitens Not sure Margin of error SurveyUSA for KSDK July 20 - July 27, 2016 18% 18% 21% 25% 18% +/-3.6 OnMessage July 17 - July 18, 2016 19% 25% 23% 21% 12% +/-4.38 Missouri Scout July 7 - July 8, 2016 12% 16% 22% 29% 21% Missouri Scout June 18 - June 19, 2016 16% 21% 23% 17% 25% +/-3.2 Missouri Scout February 28, 2016 28% 15% 12% 6% 39% +/-2.6 AVERAGES 18.6% 19% 20.2% 19.6% 23% +/-2.76 Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Endorsements

General election endorsements

Key endorsements, general election candidates
Chris Koster (D)	Eric Greitens (R)
Missouri Farm Bureau	State Rep. Jay Barnes (R)
National Rifle Association	State Rep. Kirk Mathews (R)
	State Rep. Nate Walker (R)
	State Rep. Bill White (R)
	Ben Carson
What is a key endorsement?

Primary election endorsements

Key endorsements, Republican primary candidates (1 of 2)
Catherine Hanaway	Eric Greitens
State Senate President Pro Tempore Tom Dempsey (R)	State Rep. Jay Barnes (R)
Former U.S. Senator Kit Bond (R)	State Rep. Kirk Mathews (R)
State Senate Majority Leader Ron Richard (R)	State Rep. Nate Walker (R)
Missouri Right to Life	State Rep. Bill White (R)
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (R)	Ben Carson
What is a key endorsement?

Key endorsements, Republican primary candidates (2 of 2)
Peter Kinder	John Brunner
Rush Limbaugh	Missouri Right to Life PAC
Missouri Right to Life PAC	Former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee (R)
Missouri Eagle Forum	U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R)
What is a key endorsement?

Campaign finance

General election

This section details the campaign finance activity of Eric Greitens (R) and Chris Koster (D), the two major party nominees, since the final report before the August 8, 2016, primary election.

Click [show] to view full campaign finance details for this race during the general election.
Note: If a candidate is not listed below, they have not yet filed campaign finance reports. Chris Koster (D) general election campaign finance 2016 Eric Greitens (R) campaign finance 2016

Primary election

This section details the campaign finance activity of the notable major party candidates seeking nomination during the primary election. The campaign finance information provided covers the period until July 21, 2016, the final reporting period before the August 8, 2016, primary election.

Click [show] to view full campaign finance details for this race during the primary election.
Note: If a candidate is not listed below, they have not yet filed campaign finance reports. Chris Koster (D) primary election campaign finance 2016 John Brunner (R) campaign finance 2016 Eric Greitens (R) campaign finance 2016 Catherine Hanaway (R) campaign finance 2016 Peter Kinder (R) campaign finance 2016

Satellite spending

Main article: Satellite spending in gubernatorial elections, 2016

Main article: Political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns

Groups unaffiliated with candidates or campaigns—such as political action committees, super PACs, nonprofit public welfare organizations, and labor unions—often spend money to influence the outcome of an election. This satellite spending can take the form of express advocacy, which encourages votes for or against a candidate, or issue advocacy, which supports broad political or social issues. Some groups are restricted on which kind of advocacy they can engage in based on their tax status.

Disclosure regulations vary from state to state and vary based on type of organization, complicating the process of determining a comprehensive picture of all spending in a given election.

For example, nonprofits are not always required to disclose their donors to the government; they submit financial information to the federal government through regular tax filings with the Internal Revenue Service, which are only publicly available through a Freedom of Information Act request. Other organizations are required to report election expenditures to a state elections division.

Known satellite spending in the 2016 election

Known satellite spending; Missouri gubernatorial election, 2016
Organization	Amount spent	Type of spending
LG PAC	$1,000,000	Ads against Republican John Brunner
Democratic Governors Association	$671,000	Ads against Eric Greitens (R)
Total known expenditures:	$1,671,000
Note: All figures are estimates. Know of any other instances of satellite spending? Tell us!

Campaign media

Click here to view campaign advertisements for this race.

Declared candidates' campaign and social media sites: Note: If a candidate is not listed below, Ballotpedia staff were unable to locate any campaign media for that candidate. Do you know of any? Tell us!

Democrats

Chris Koster (D)
Eric Morrison (D)
Leonard Steinman (D)

Republicans

John Brunner (R)
Eric Greitens (R)
Catherine Hanaway (R)
Peter Kinder (R)

Know of a candidate's campaign site not listed? Tell us!

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Missouri state Governor election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Missouri gubernatorial election, 2016 - Google News

Past elections

Missouri elects governors in the presidential elections, that is, in leap years. For Missouri, 2016, 2020, 2024, and 2028 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the second Monday in the January following an election.

2012

• 2012 General Election for Governor of Missouri

On November 6, 2012, incumbent Jay Nixon defeated Dave Spence (R) and Jim Higgins (L) to win a second term as governor.

Governor of Missouri General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jay 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

Race background

Key election dates

Filing deadline (major parties): March 29, 2016

Primary date: August 2, 2016

Filing deadline (general election): August 23, 2016

General election date: November 8, 2016

Recount request deadline: TBD

Inauguration: January 9, 2017

General election

Attorney General Chris Koster (D) and nonprofit CEO Eric Greitens (R) won their parties' primaries on August 2, 2016. They competed alongside Libertarian Cisse Spragins in the November 2016 general election for governor.

On August 5, 2016, general election candidates appeared in a forum to compete for the endorsement of the Missouri Farm Bureau, one of the state's largest agricultural advocacy groups. Chris Koster (D), who served as a Republican state senator for three years before winning election to the office of attorney general in 2008 as a Democrat, touted his record of supporting the Farm Bureau while in the Senate, while Eric Greitens (R) promised to gather a team of experts to advise him. Koster won the endorsement with 76 percent of the vote, making him the first ever Democratic candidate for statewide office backed by the Bureau.

Ethics complaints

The race for governor prompted several ethics complaints targeting general election candidates Chris Koster (D) and Eric Greitens (R). On July 23, former state Rep. Carl Bearden (R) filed a complaint with the Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) alleging that Greitens had accepted a $2 million donation from a super PAC in violation of state campaign laws. James Klahr, director of the MEC, responded that the commission could only investigate the complaint if it was re-filed after the August 2 primary election, as state law prohibits investigations within 15 days of the primaries.

On August 4, two days following the primary elections, Chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party Roy Temple filed three ethics complaints against Greitens. The first complaint alleged that Greitens coordinated illegally with the political action committee LG PAC. The treasurer of LG PAC had been seen at one of Greitens' campaign events shortly before making an estimated $1 million ad buy attacking Greitens' rival John Brunner, which, if coordinated, would have been required to be disclosed by Greitens as an in-kind contribution. The second and third complaints alleged that Greitens' campaign coordinated with LG PAC, and with the political action committee SEALs for Truth, to conceal donors' identities.

Greitens' campaign manager, Austin Chambers, dismissed the complaints, calling them "ridiculous politically motivated filings that are designed to distract away from Chris Koster’s 20 year record of epic failure and serial corruption."

The following week, the D.C.-based ethics group Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust filed a complaint with the MEC, accusing Democratic candidate Chris Koster of illegally accepting about $1 million in contributions from an out-of-state group called Jobs and Opportunity PAC. The complaint claimed that it was illegal for the group to contribute to Koster's campaign within 30 days of the primary elections. Koster's campaign manager, Andrew Whalen, denied the allegations and accused Greitens of being behind the complaint. The foundation also filed a complaint against former attorney general candidate Kurt Schaefer (R) in May.

Primary elections

Candidate field

Democratic candidates

Four candidates filed to run in the Democratic primary election. Chris Koster, who was first elected to his current position as attorney general in 2008, was the only Democratic candidate to have been elected to statewide office. Koster won re-election with 55.8 percent of the vote in 2012 when Missouri voters chose Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. The other candidates that filed were Charles Wheeler, a former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri; Leonard Steinman, a retired truck driver; and Eric Morrison, a pastor and civil rights activist. Koster ultimately won the nomination in the August 2 primary election.

Republican candidates

Four candidates competed in the Republican primary election. Of the four, Missouri Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder was the only candidate to have won a statewide election. He was first elected lieutenant governor in 2004 and was re-elected twice thereafter, making him the only lieutenant governor elected to three terms in Missouri state history. He declined to seek a fourth term in order to pursue the governorship.

Catherine Hanaway, a former speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, John Brunner, a businessman, and Eric Greitens, a former Navy SEAL also declared for the seat. Greitens ultimately won the nomination after a highly competitive race that included attack ads and acrimonious debates.

State Auditor Tom Schweich had also announced his candidacy for the governorship, but he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on February 26, 2015.

Libertarian candidates

Cisse Spragins filed to run for governor on the Libertarian ticket. She had previously run for elected office as a libertarian. Martin Lindstedt had also declared a run on the Libertarian ticket, but withdrew from the race before the primary elections. She was therefore unopposed in the August 2 primary election.

Noteworthy events

Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich's suicide

Citizen for Fairness attack ad against Schweich
In February 2015, a political action committee (PAC) called Citizens for Fairness aired radio ads criticizing former gubernatorial candidate Thomas Schweich (R). The ad criticized Schweich as a weak candidate whom opponents would "squash ... like a bug that he is." Ads ran on radio stations in Kansas City, Columbia, and other Missouri cities from February 19 to 21, coinciding with Reagan-Lincoln Days events for state Republicans. The ads aired prior to Schweich's poor showing in a straw poll against Hanaway.

Suicide and subsequent allegations
On February 26, 2015, Schweich was found dead in his home due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Schweich's supporters, including his mentor and former U.S. Senator John Danforth (R), accused Schweich's opponent, Republican Catherine Hanaway, of launching a smear campaign against him that ultimately led to his suicide. The accusation arose in part from various connections drawn between Hanaway's campaign and the Citizens for Fairness attack ad. The ad was produced by Axiom Strategies, a firm headed by John Roe, who serves as a consultant to Hanaway's campaign. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch drew further connections between Hanaway and Citizens for Fairness through James C. Thomas III, an attorney who, at the time, acted as campaign treasurer for both Hanaway's campaign and for the Citizens for Fairness PAC.

Hanaway briefly suspended her campaign in response to Schweich's suicide. Following her return to the campaign trail at the end of March 2016, she denied any knowledge of the Citizens for Fairness ad prior to its airing. "It wasn’t my style. I wouldn’t have run it," Hanaway said, adding: "What my campaign is going to be about is a positive vision for Missouri." Hanaway also stated that Roe was no longer allowed to create ads for her campaign without her prior consent.

Police investigation and final report
A report later issued by the Clayton Police Department stated that an investigation found no clear motive for Schweich's suicide, nor any link between it and the attack ad or John Hancock. The report stated that Schweich's wife told police that he had suffered from suicidal ideations for years, and that in the days leading up to his death, he had indeed been preoccupied with Hancock's purported anti-Semitic "whisper campaign" against him. A spokeswoman for Danforth stated that Schweich's previous suicidal ideations "really [don't] change anything," and that the senator still believed that political machinations contributed to Schweich's death.

About the office

Governor

Main article: Governor of Missouri

Missouri state government organizational chart

The governor of Missouri is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch, and the occupant of the highest state office in Missouri. The governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two terms. The 55th and current governor is Jay Nixon, a Democrat elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2012.

See also: Missouri State Legislature, Missouri House of Representatives, Missouri State Senate

Incumbent

Governor Jay Nixon (D) won a commanding victory in 2008, the same year Republican presidential candidate John McCain narrowly carried the state by a 0.1 percent margin. Nixon earned 58.4 percent of the vote, compared to 39.5 percent for his Republican opponent. Nixon won by a margin of 12 percent in his re-election bid in 2012; that same year, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney won the state by a nearly ten-point margin.

Nixon, who is ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits, received sharp criticism from Republicans and Democrats over his response to the Ferguson protests and for the investigation into the death of teenager Michael Brown.

State profile

Demographic data for Missouri
	Missouri	U.S.
Total population:	6,076,204	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	68,742	3,531,905
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

• Elections in Missouri
• United States congressional delegations from Missouri
• Public policy in Missouri
• Endorsers in Missouri
• Missouri fact checks
• More...

See also

Missouri government:

• Missouri state executive offices
• Missouri State Legislature
• Missouri courts

Previous elections:

• State executive official elections, 2015
• State executive official elections, 2014

Ballotpedia exclusives:

• State executives compensation
• State of the state addresses
• Who runs the states?

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Governor of Missouri

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