Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller is running for Missouri Secretary of State

Shane Schoeller, the Republican clerk for Greene County, is running for Missouri Secretary of State

Schoeller formally announced his candidacy Friday evening at the Republican Party's annual Lincoln Days event, after his campaign filing with the ethics commission was updated Thursday to reflect the new campaign.

It is Schoeller's second run for Secretary of State, which serves as the lead elections official for Missouri. He ran and won the Republican nomination for the office in 2012 but was defeated in the general election. Schoeller was elected county clerk in Greene County in 2014 and has served in the role since then.

"I want to make sure that every election you cast your vote and it's secure, accurate and fair," Schoeller said in his announcement speech. "And you know that when you cast that ballot, it has been accurately counted, and that's what I will be fighting for every step of the way in this campaign."

The current Secretary of State is Jay Ashcroft, who is widely viewed as a likely contender to run for governor in 2024.

In his opening speech and later remarks to reporters, Schoeller honed in on the security of elections and transparency between officials and the public. He pointed to his office pursuing a single case of voter fraud in 2015, and to his support of photo ID requirements and other recent changes to Missouri voting laws.

"I think there's a much greater focus on election integrity since I ran in 2012," Schoeller said to reporters. "Back in 2012 ... there wasn't a whole lot of talk except for voter ID. Now there's a lot more issues on the table that matter, and we want to make sure that we restore that trust that people have lost."

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His early remarks indicated he planned to use his experience at the county clerk level to show voters his knowledge of the election process and desire to include citizens in that process; in previous interviews with the News-Leader during election season, he has encouraged those that express doubt about the legitimacy of recent elections to come volunteer at a polling place or speak to his office. Ashcroft has said that both the 2020 and 2022 elections were conducted securely and without major issues in Missouri.

Prior to serving as county clerk, Schoeller was a member of the Missouri House, representing Springfield and northern Greene County. He served as Speaker Pro Tem and later briefly served as interim Speaker of the House in 2011 following the resignation of former Speaker Steve Tilley.

After his defeat to Democrat Jason Kander in the 2012 race, Schoeller served as executive director for the Missouri Republican Party.

He is a Branson native and graduate of Southwest Baptist University. His early roles in government include working for then-U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, who also served as Greene County Clerk before being elected Secretary of State and later serving in Congress.

Schoeller is the first candidate to officially announce for the office in the 2024 cycle, though it is likely to attract other candidates if Ashcroft announces a run for governor. The weekend's festivities in Springfield present a prime opportunity for candidates to begin their 2024 campaigns and seek support within the party.

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com or on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller running for MO Secretary of State