Richard Finneran

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Richard Finneran

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Law

Washington University School of Law, 2008

Personal

Birthplace

New Orleans, La.

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Personal website

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Richard Finneran (Democratic Party) ran for election for Attorney General of Missouri. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Finneran completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Richard Finneran was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He earned a J.D. from Washington University School of Law in 2008. Finneran’s career experience includes working as an attorney, including as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in St. Louis, Missouri.

Elections

2020

See also: Missouri Attorney General election, 2020

Missouri Attorney General election, 2020 (August 4 Republican primary)

Missouri Attorney General election, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)

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
✔		Eric Schmitt (R)	59.4	1,752,792
		Richard Finneran (D)	37.9	1,117,713
	Submit photo	Kevin Babcock (L)	2.7	81,100

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,951,605
= candidate completed 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
✔		Richard Finneran	55.4	272,516
		Elad Gross	44.6	219,462

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 491,978
= 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.

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
✔		Eric Schmitt	100.0	602,577

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 602,577
= 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
✔	Submit photo	Kevin Babcock	100.0	4,089

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,089
= 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.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Richard Finneran completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Finneran's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a former federal prosecutor dedicated to serving justice and protecting the public. From 2010 to 2017, I served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in St. Louis, where I aggressively prosecuted some of the most significant cases in the history of the state, including a $435 million prepaid funeral scam and a $50 million investment fraud. I've never been afraid to take on the powerful and well-connected when they preyed upon the vulnerable. I grew up in St. Louis, and earned my J.D. from Washington University School of Law in 2008. In addition to my work as a prosecutor and attorney, I've spent the past several years as a professor at my alma mater, teaching constitutional law and legal advocacy to the next generation of lawyers.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Protecting Healthcare: I'll protect your coverage for pre-existing conditions by ending Missouri's involvement in the federal lawsuit to invalidate the Affordable Care Act
• Smart on Crime: I'll fight to reform our criminal justice system to protect our communities and ensure fair and equal treatment under the law
• People Over Politics: I'll take on corporate fraud and corruption and ensure the AG works for the people, not just politicians and the well-connected

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The guiding principle that inspires me most is a simple one: that everyone deserves to be treated equally under the law. I learned this from my mother. She felt it was her duty as an American to do everything she could to build toward a future where all people were treated as equals, regardless of their race, gender, or sexual orientation. As a young child, I remember driving around with her to various campaign events and civic meetings where she advocated for these issues. All the while, she would explain to me the importance of civic participation, elections, and making your voice heard.

My mother died when I was 16, from breast cancer. But in the time we had together, she showed me what it meant to fight for your values, to make your voice heard. Though she's gone, her values live on through me. And because of her, I will never stop advocating for equal treatment for all, and I will seek to root out injustice and corruption wherever I find it.

Attorneys general can represent their states in legal conflicts with the federal government. Do you consider this an important part of an attorney general's responsibilities?

As the chief legal officer for a state, it is essential that the Attorney General advocate for the people of the state, against the federal government if necessary. But it is equally important that the Attorney General not use that authority to pursue partisan political ends. That's exactly what our current, unelected Attorney General is doing.

He's in the Supreme Court right now trying to kill the Affordable Care Act. That's wrong on the law - and I would know, because I teach constitutional law. But it's also wrong for the people of Missouri, hundreds of thousands of whom will lose health coverage - including coverage for pre-existing conditions - in the middle of a pandemic if he wins. Missouri needs an AG who will protect our healthcare, not strip it away.

On top of that, our Attorney General is suing China. The entire country. No one seriously believes the people of Missouri will ever see a dime as a result of this pointless lawsuit. It's just another waste of taxpayer money and resources to pursue a partisan political agenda. That's not what the AG's office should be used for - it should be a shield that protects the people of our state, not a sword to attack policies the party in power doesn't agree with.

I'll defend Missouri, in court if necessary, against the federal government. But rest assured that I will never use the office to gain partisan advantage at the expense of the people.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a state's attorney general to have previous experience in government or politics?

It's absolutely essential that an Attorney General has experience with the most unique and important function of the state's legal apparatus: criminal prosecution. Our prosecutors have the ability to enforce criminal law and take away the liberty of individuals in our state who violate those laws. But with that power comes a profound responsibility to ensure that criminal prosecution is never used in a way that discriminates against individuals or communities, and never abused to obtain a conviction without a full and fair judicial process.

I spent most of my career as a federal prosecutor, and I have more experience as a prosecutor than any other candidate in the race, combined. As a result, I have a deep understanding of the criminal justice system, and I will use that experience to ensure that the Missouri AG's office only brings prosecutions when the evidence fully supports it. I also firmly believe that the AG - and every local prosecutor - has the inherent authority to review prior convictions to ensure that no misconduct or error occurred, and to remedy those situations as rapidly as possible. As Attorney General, I'll make the pursuit of justice our highest ideal to ensure that the guilty are punished and the innocent go free.

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.

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