Jackson County Prosecutor Baker steps back from Missouri Democratic Party duties
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced Thursday evening she’s stepping back as chair of the Missouri Democratic Party.
Baker, who has been chair of the party since 2018, cited recent developments in her job as Jackson County prosecutor. The announcement did not specify those developments, but homicides in Kansas City have reached historic levels with 101 homicide barely halfway through the year.
Missouri Democratic Party vice-chair Clem Smith, a St. Louis County Democrat who served in the Missouri House of Representatives, will become acting chair in Baker’s absence.
“I believe that my friend and colleague, Clem Smith, is the right person to lead our Party at this critical moment,” Peters Baker said in a statement. “I am grateful for his partnership. The Missouri Democratic Party has long embraced inclusion and diversity, as well as the need to address racial injustices in our state and nation.”
The announcement did not make clear whether Peters Baker will return as chair of the party.
Asked for clarification, Missouri Democratic Party communications director Andrew Storey said the arrangement is effective until at least the party’s third quarter committee meeting, which happens in September.
“Chair Peters Baker is confident that Acting Chair Clem Smith will provide decisive, effective leadership, and assume day-to-day responsibilities of the Chair,” Storey said in an email.
The switch in party leadership comes as critical elections in August and November approach.
Missouri Democrats hope they can make in-roads this year in a state that has veered sharply in favor of Republicans since 2010. Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway, a Democrat, is running to unseat Gov. Mike Parson.
A Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group survey paid for by Galloway’s campaign showed Parson leading by a 47-40 margin on June 28, which the survey said was closing the gap from Parson’s 14-point advantage in February 2019. The same survey of 800 likely general election voters said former Vice-President Biden was within the margin of error against President Donald Trump.
In 2016, Trump won Missouri with 56.4% of the vote, more than 18 percentage points over Hillary Clinton.
