State Sen. Caleb Rowden declared his intent to run for Missouri secretary of state Saturday morning during the annual Homecoming parade in Columbia.
A post on X, formerly known as Twitter, noted that he wanted his hometown and the Mizzou faithful "to be the first to know about our future plans."
The post was accompanied by a photograph of a sign carried during the parade that read "Caleb Rowden: Secretary of State."
"Aubrey & I & the kids are ready to embark on this exciting new political journey," the X post read.
Rowden, 41, is a Republican and president pro tem of the state Senate, representing the 19th District in the legislature. He was elected to the Senate in 2016, serving Boone and Cooper counties. Before that, he served two terms in the Missouri House of Representatives.
Because of term limits, he is unable to run for the state Senate again in 2024. Born in Joplin, Rowden was a full-time minister and touring Christian singer/songwriter before entering politics.
Jay Ashcroft, 50, also a Republican, has been Missouri's secretary of state since 2017. He has declared his intention to run for governor in 2024.
