Elad Gross, the Democratic candidate for Missouri attorney general, stopped in Columbia on Wednesday to drive his message of focusing the attorney general’s office on people rather than government interest.
Gross visited the University of Missouri’s Speakers Circle, where his team said they were able to register more than 50 people to vote, before hosting a meet and greet at Broadway Diner later that day.
“My belief is that the attorney general of Missouri should be the attorney for the people of the state of Missouri,” Gross said, “not the attorney for big government, or the governor, or any of these huge corporations that are donating to them, but for you and your family.”
Gross, a constitutional and civil rights attorney who previously served as assistant attorney general, welcomed attendees with his dog, Liberty Belle, offering signs, stickers and coloring pages.
Columbia resident Carol Elliott gave a speech to support Gross.
“Of all the candidates that are running for attorney general ... Elad is the only candidate who has the legal competence,” Elliott said.
Gross fielded questions and honed in on outreach, like phone calls and conversations with family members who are undecided voters, even saying he would set up a Zoom meeting with them.
“We’re going to get the attorney general’s office working for you again,” Gross said. “That’s the idea behind this campaign.”
Gross told the crowd that during his appearance on MU’s campus, one student was convinced to give him their vote after learning that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, the Republican incumbent, tried to keep Sandra Hemme, a wrongfully convicted woman, behind bars. Hemme was incarcerated and served 43 years in prison before being released in June.
If elected, Gross’s platform for attorney general consists of several plans, including suing scammers, making health care affordable, protecting workers and aiding farmers. Gross wants to form a public corruption unit within the attorney general’s office focused on ensuring taxpayer money is protected.
Bailey was appointed as Missouri attorney general by Gov. Mike Parson in 2022 after former attorney general and now-Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt was elected to the Senate. Bailey is running for reelection for his first full term.
According to the Missouri attorney general’s website, “(Bailey) is focused on protecting the Constitution, enforcing the laws as written, defending the state, supporting the counties and training a new generation of service-minded attorneys.”
The Missouri attorney general is elected for four-year terms and does not have term limits. The position is charged with protecting the interests of the state and residents through the judicial and legislative process and serves as the chief legal officer for the state.
Also running for Missouri attorney general in November is Libertarian Ryan Munro. Munro is a co-partner at Lake Munro, a law firm in St. Louis. His practice focuses on family litigation, division of property and child custody. Before Munro became an attorney, he worked in a family business as a concrete plant manager for five years.
