Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, other statewide Republicans win easily
Missouri’s four statewide Republican officeholders on the ballot with Gov. Mike Parson rolled to easy victories Tuesday evening.
Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick and Attorney General Eric Schmitt all beat their Democratic opponents by margins of about 3 to 2 with 96% percent of precincts reporting.
The contests didn’t command much attention, though the winners will make decisions that will impact nearly every Missourian.
Ashcroft, 47, has been criticized by voting rights advocates for presiding over a system with confusing rules and distinctions between absentee and mail-in voting. While many states have made mail balloting easier, Missouri created a one-year-only mail option this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most voters using mail ballots had to have their envelopes notarized.
Ashcroft actively encouraged Missourians to vote in person. He said election authorities are estimated to reject one out of every 50 ballots cast by mail because voters didn’t comply with the rules. He also pushed for the reinstatement of a portion of the 2016 voter ID law struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court in January.
His Democratic opponent, Yinka Faleti, 44, a Nigerian-American Army veteran, said Ashcroft has partisan motives for the voting rules. Faleti pledged to make voting easier and more accessible.
The other three Republican candidates were appointed to their positions by Gov. Mike Parson.
Kehoe, 58, the former Missouri Senate Majority Leader, replaced Parson as Lt. Governor in 2018 after Parson succeeded Eric Greitens, who resigned in disgrace. Kehoe has focused on boosting Missouri’s economy.
He was opposed by Alissia Canady, 41, a former Kansas City councilwoman and 2019 candidate for mayor, who aspired to be the first Black candidate to win a statewide office. She campaigned on decreasing gun violence, promoting education and addressing health disparities. The St. Louis Post Dispatch has reported that Canady was sued at least four times in as many years for unpaid credit card debt.
Parson appointed Fitzpatrick, 33, state treasurer in 2019. Previously a state representative from southwest Missouri, Fitzpatrick headed the task force overseeing federal CARES Act funding allocation.
His challenger, Vicki Englund, 46, a St. Louis County native, served in the Small Business Administration under President Bill Clinton. She is a former Missouri House member, and is a small business owner.
Schmitt, 45, was state treasurer before he was appointed to replace Josh Hawley, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018. Schmitt has focused on violent crime and created the Safer Streets Initiative, which cross-designates Attorney General’s Office lawyers as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys to federally prosecute violent crime.
Democratic challenger Rich Finneran, 36, a federal prosecutor in St. Louis from 2010 to 2017, said Schmitt used his office to promote a political and social agenda. Finneran said he would work on the protection of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Expansion.
Finneran drew criticism for overdue property tax payments, which led to calls for his disqualification from the ballot.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 7:09 PM.
