Missouri Attorney General candidates make for competitive primary, general election races

Competition abounds in the 2024 race for Missouri Attorney General, with both Republican and Democratic candidates vying for their parties’ nomination in next year's August primary.

Among Republicans, incumbent Attorney General Andrew Bailey seeks to secure his nomination against challenger Will Scharf, an attorney on former President Trump’s legal team, a former assistant U.S. attorney and policy director to former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens.

Democratic candidates Elad Gross, a civil rights attorney who ran for state Attorney General in 2020, and Sarah Unsicker, a Missouri House representative from Shrewsbury, are competing for their party’s nomination.

Andrew Bailey wants to continue earning wins for Missourians

The two previous attorneys general, now Senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, pursued higher office prior to the end of their terms in office. When Gov. Mike Parson appointed Bailey to the office a year ago, Bailey — who had served as the governor's legal counsel — promised to pursue a full term in 2024.

Making good on that guarantee, Bailey now looks to build on the accomplishments made while he’s been in office. Among those, he counts the resignation of former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner following a lawsuit filed by his office, the findings of which were released Monday.

“We are proud of the accomplishments and the wins we've scored on behalf of the people of the state of Missouri,” Bailey said. “Removing the (George) Soros-backed prosecutor in the City of St. Louis and restoring the rule of law and finding justice for victims. That was an act of courage and tenacity to undertake that opportunity in less than 45 days in office.”

This is Bailey’s first campaign for an elected position following his appointment in the wake of Schmitt’s departure last November. He has been “pleasantly surprised” with the reactions of voters he’s met across the state during the campaign so far.

“They're excited to meet the Attorney General,” Bailey said. “They're excited to get to support a combat veteran father of four, who's from Missouri, who's made Missouri his home, who, again, has demonstrably fought for the people of this state and delivered real wins on their behalf. That level of enthusiasm and excitement is energizing.”

Bailey has picked up several endorsements from elected officials and organizations across the state, most recently from the Missouri Cattlemen's Association, which on Tuesday publicly announced their support of Bailey, due in part to his opposition to the Waters of the United States rule.

“When it comes to fighting back against the federal government and the clear, pervasive intrusion on our private property rights, the state attorney general has the power to fight back on our behalf and hold out-of-touch bureaucrats accountable,” said MCA President David Dick in a release. “We don’t have to guess what Andrew Bailey will do. He’s already doing it from the front lines.”

Bailey is also endorsed by the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), St. Louis Police Officers Association, Kansas City FOP, Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters, and the International Association of Fire Fighters.

“I think that my work as a prosecutor and the fact that I've actually tried jury trials and held wrongdoers accountable, and our action to remove the Soros-backed circuit attorney in St. Louis certainly helped earn the support of the Fraternal Order of Police,” Bailey said. “My work in the public sector and my dedication to the rule of law and to first responders has earned the support of the firefighters.”

Among elected officials, he has the support of Gov. Parson, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, U.S. House Ways and Means Chairman Congressman Jason Smith, Congresswoman Ann Wagner and Congressman Mark Alford.

Bailey said he leans on his combat experience in the U.S. Army to wage war in defense of the U.S. Constitution in the courtroom.

“I took our fight for freedom to the battlefield in the war on terror and I’m proud to be leading that effort in the fight for freedom for Missourians in courtrooms across this nation,” Bailey said.

If Bailey’s military experience provides his discipline, his family is the source of his drive and determination to uphold the responsibilities of his office and his values.

“Looking in my children's eyes and realizing that they need to be given an opportunity for the future motivates me every day to get up and work hard for the people, to ensure we hand it off in better condition than we found it,” Bailey said.

More: Politician or the people's lawyer? How the role of Missouri Attorney General has evolved

Will Scharf wants to be conservative contrast to lobbyist-driven leadership in Jefferson City

Bailey’s primary opponent, Scharf, feels that the people of Missouri are ready for an attorney general who won’t be swayed by lobbyists. Scharf has refused to accept campaign donations from registered Missouri lobbyists, and points to Bailey’s recusal from a case involving lobbyist interests as signs of a conflict of interest.

“If you pull his finance reports, like half the registered lobbyists in the state have contributed to him at this point,” Scharf said.

In April, Bailey declined to participate in a lawsuit against the Missouri State Highway Patrol that was brought by Torch Electronics and Warrenton Oil, both companies connected to PACs represented by former Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley, who now works as a lobbyist and political consultant. Bailey received campaign contributions through PACs connected to Tilley.

The lawsuit concerns gray-market video lottery machines, the legality of which has been the topic of debate among legislators and the Missouri Gaming Commission.

“I am against any illegal gaming that's going on in the state of Missouri and if there are illegal gaming machines, the police need to seize those as evidence and refer those matters to the prosecutor's office for criminal prosecution,” Bailey said.

Scharf feels that lobbyist influence is an issue that spans far beyond the attorney general’s office, but permeates the entire Missouri General Assembly. During the state’s legislative session, lobbyists can be seen lining the third floor of the Missouri Capitol, angling for legislation favorable to their causes.

“It's a really dangerous situation when laws aren't being written by people's elected representatives or their staff, but they're being literally written by special interest groups,” Scharf said.

Scharf wants to see more accountability for the federal government’s overreach into state affairs. Positioning himself as the conservative contrast to the current Jefferson City climate, he wants to address the growing issue of crime and the “out-of-control education establishment.”

“I think we need to build out a culture of conservative leadership in the context of the AG’s office, that's about recruiting and retaining talented young conservative lawyers in the hope of building a better government for the future,” Scharf said.

Scharf received endorsements from the economic conservative organization Club for Growth; Mark Levin, a conservative news analyst with a show on Fox News; and Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative student organization.

Most notably, he is currently part of former President Donald Trump’s legal team appealing a gag order placed on Trump, prohibiting him from speaking about the case investigating the former president's role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

“I believe, as most Americans believe, that the prosecution of President Trump is politically motivated, and I think the deep politicization of the Department of Justice needs to be a priority for the conservative movement, just in light of everything that we've seen,” Scharf said.

In Scharf’s opinion, Bailey’s office hasn’t held the federal government accountable enough for its overreach into state government, unlike predecessors Hawley and Schmitt. He points to the case Missouri v. Biden, which is headed to the U.S. Supreme Court, saying that Louisiana’s attorney general’s office has taken the lead on litigation.

“I think under our current attorney general, the office is following more than leading on important conservative legal issues,” Scharf said.

However, Bailey contends that his office has added value to lawsuits started by now Sen. Schmitt’s office, and has taken the lead on a lawsuit filed last week against the FDA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for approving mail delivery of abortion pills.

“We've taken the lead and partnered with other like-minded state attorneys general, and again, the lawsuits that we inherited, many of them we amended the petition to add facts and expand the scope of the claims and legal arguments,” Bailey said.

Elad Gross wants to sue scammers, including those in our government

While Scharf has an eye on the federal government, Elad Gross has his sights set on a problem plaguing everyday Missourians — scammers. Advances in technology have only created craftier scammers, and a function of the Missouri Attorney General’s office is to enforce consumer protections.

“We are seeing newly developed scams all the time, especially with advancements in artificial intelligence and these fake voices on phone calls,” Gross said. “So I think we need to do a much better job in going after folks who are scamming Missourians. This is the number one complaint that comes to the Attorney General's office every year.”

A lifelong Missourian, Gross worked as assistant attorney general in Missouri from 2014-2016, after which he started the nonprofit organization called Missouri For All, which teaches residents of the state how to have their voices heard in government. In 2020, he joined the St. Louis Mediation Project, which helps renters and landlords navigate disputes.

He currently works as a civil rights and government transparency attorney. Notably, Gross is known for his victory in a 2021 Missouri Supreme Court case that ensured requesters seeking records can’t be charged for the time state attorneys spend reviewing documents prior to release.

He is currently involved in a case against the City of St. Louis for the extensive wait times involved in a request for public records from the St. Louis City Justice Center, the downtown city jail. If elected, Gross would like to implement additional transparency in the office of the attorney general.

“I think the default should be having these records readily available to the public already without even having to make a request, and I think that takes care of a lot of the backlog as well,” Gross said.

The current administration under Bailey has faced criticism for the extended delays in fulfilling Sunshine Law requests. For a request filed on Nov. 3, a response was received on Nov. 8, saying that it may be filled by May 8, 2024. The request asked for Bailey’s schedule of public activities for the week of Nov. 6. At the time of the response, there were 292 requests yet to be filled, some of those from 2022.

More: Missouri attorney general 'on pace' to clear 2022 Sunshine request backlog by year’s end

Among his other solutions for statewide problems that could be addressed by the office, Gross hopes to start the first Civil Rights Division within the office of the Missouri Attorney General.

“Many other states have them, we do not, and I think the reason we don't is because our last couple (attorneys general) probably would have to sue themselves if they had one,” Gross said.

The division that Gross is imagining would offer recourse for those who are afflicted by workplace abuses, discrimination in a variety of spaces and violations of civil liberties from government entities.

“We need one that protects rights on the job and protects us from discrimination in the workplace, housing, public accommodations and in so many different places,” Gross said. “That helps keep our justice system accountable on all different levels, and makes sure that our government is working for all of us and that we're protecting all of our civil liberties.”

An avid animal lover, Gross said there's also a need to immediately halt all puppy mill activities in Missouri.

“If I don't mention this, I'm going to get bit by my little dog, but we also need to end puppy mills in Missouri already,” Gross said. “It's about freakin’ time that we did that.”

Above all, Gross has seen the importance of community engagement in the political process, in both his current and previous bids for Missouri Attorney General.

“We're spending a lot of time right now trying to engage as many people as possible, including those who have been disengaged from the process for a long time because they look at government and they think, ‘Oh, this isn't really working for me,’ and ‘What's the point of me even going and voting,’” Gross said. “We want those people's voices in our government.”

Sarah Unsicker wants Missouri’s government to work for the people

Vying for the Democratic nomination against Gross is Sarah Unsicker, who represents the state’s 83rd District in the Missouri House of Representatives. She was elected to the office in 2016 and cannot seek reelection due to term limits.

During her time in office, she feels that state government has gone downhill, and change is needed to protect the interests of everyday Missourians.

“It feels like for a long time the government has been focused on protecting itself rather than the residents of Missouri,” Unsicker said. “The motto of the state is, ‘Let the well-being of the people be the supreme law,’ and I think that's really what I want to accomplish is making sure the government works for the people in Missouri.”

Like Gross, she hopes to bring increased transparency to an office that she feels has historically been a defender of government interests, rather than those of the people.

“If there was an agency that did not uphold the Sunshine Law, my office would definitely look at it and determine, ‘Are they right in saying they don't have to give those records or are they wrong about that?’” Unsicker said. “I wouldn't automatically defend the government action, if they're clearly withholding something that they should be putting out there.”

Unsicker feels that the focus on federal lawsuits against the Biden administration under Bailey, and Schmitt before him, is not the role of the Missouri Attorney General, whose role it is to represent the interests of Missourians.

“The Attorney General needs to be working for the people of Missouri, protecting consumers against fraud, corruption and bad products and working for the people of Missouri,” Unsicker said.

That is not to say that she is against filing lawsuits at the federal level. Unsicker supports joining federal suits in the name of consumer protection against deceptive business practices, or the recent lawsuit against Meta for its alleged harm to childrens’ health.

Unsicker’s record of defending children includes her successful efforts in conjunction with other lawmakers to close the Agape Boarding School, which was found to be abusing students. Legislation from Unsicker required religious boarding schools to be licensed in the state.

During her time practicing family and education law, Unsicker said, she repeatedly saw the family courts fail the needs of children. It is what led her to run for the Missouri House, and an inspiration for an area to initiate change if she is elected.

“A lot of our family courts seem to be a mess and have some significant problems with due process and that needs to be cleaned up,” Unsicker said. “I would make sure that the laws, the judgments and the custody determinations are enforced, and make sure kids are in safe places and not being put with abusers.”

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Candidates for Missouri Attorney General share their goals, if elected