Joe Holleman
Political correspondent/columnist
Billing himself a 鈥渃onservative activist,鈥 Will Scharf announced Tuesday night that he would run in the 2024 GOP primary for Missouri attorney general.
鈥淭here are a lot of Republicans in Missouri, but few true conservatives,鈥 said Scharf, whose first foray into state politics was serving as the policy director for former Gov. Eric Greitens.
Scharf, 36, will face appointed incumbent Republican Andrew Bailey, who was named by Gov. Mike Parson to the post recently to fill the unexpired term of Eric Schmitt, who was elected in November to the U.S. Senate.
Claiming the 鈥渙utsider鈥 position in his upcoming campaign 鈥 鈥淚'm not backed by the special interests, the lobbyists or the insiders in Jefferson City鈥澛犫斅爐he Ivy League-educated Scharf said he plans to run a 鈥済rassroots campaign ... like this state has never seen before.鈥
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Will Scharf, a GOP candidate for Missouri attorney general, talks to reporters at his campaign kickoff on January 31, 2023 at Krueger's in University City.
Scharf made his remarks to a packed room of about 50 people at Krueger鈥檚 in University City.
One of those attending was former state Sen. Bob Onder of St. Charles, who introduced Scharf and called him 鈥渁 conservative fighter and a brilliant legal mind.鈥
After the announcement, when asked if his association with Greitens would be a negative or positive in the upcoming campaign, Scharf deftly replied that Greitens 鈥済ave me a great opportunity to serve the people of Missouri, and now I want to serve the people of Missouri as attorney general.鈥
Scharf joined Greitens鈥 staff in 2016. When Greitens resigned in 2018, Scharf worked in Washington and New York before coming to 最新杏吧原创 in 2020 to work as an assistant U.S. attorney in the violent crimes division. He has a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Princeton University and a law degree from Harvard University.
All signs point to a spirited race in two years, as Bailey already has gained Parson鈥檚 endorsement when he announced he would run for election to the state鈥檚 top legal post when it comes back on ballots in 2024.
Bailey, 41, had been Parson鈥檚 general counsel for the last year and the deputy counsel for two years prior. Before joining Parson鈥檚 office, he was the chief lawyer for the Department of Corrections.
More recently, Bailey played a key role in Parson鈥檚 decision to demand a 最新杏吧原创 Post-Dispatch journalist be prosecuted for reporting that a state website under the governor鈥檚 control had exposed Social Security numbers of Missouri teachers.
A Cole County prosecutors refused to press charges in the matter.
Updated Wednesday morning.
Missouri's Legislature reflects the federal structure in many ways. Video by Beth O'Malley
