Republican incumbent Eric Schmitt defeated Democrat Rich Finneran to earn a second term as Missouri’s attorney general.
Schmitt won a similar share of the vote compared to other Republicans in statewide races. Incumbents including Governor Mike Parson, Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft all joined Schmitt in winning re-election at state-level offices.
Schmitt centered his campaign on violent crime. As attorney general, Schmitt created the Safer Streets Initiative in 2019 aiming to reduce violent crime rates in the St. Louis area. Schmitt is a former state senator and treasurer. He was appointed to the attorney general position after Josh Hawley gave up the position when he was selected to the U.S. Senate in 2018.
Schmitt was not immediately available for comment. His Democratic challenger Finneran criticized Schmitt for partaking in a lawsuit with other Republican attorneys general to challenge the Affordable Care Act. He also targeted Schmitt’s push to sue China for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Finneran said Schmitt has helped change the attorney general position into a political one with politically charged lawsuits. “It’s only in the last few years that we have seen the Republican administration running the attorney general’s office and turning it into a political vehicle,” he said. “And that’s what we think needs to be ended here in the state.”