Denny Hoskins (R) won the Republican primary for Missouri Secretary of State

Denny Hoskins (R) won the Republican primary for Missouri Secretary of State on August 6, 2024.

Eight candidates ran in the election. Four led in media attention and fundraising: Hoskins, Valentina Gomez (R), Dean Plocher (R), and Shane Schoeller (R).

Republican incumbent Jay Ashcroft ran for Governor of Missouri. He was defeated in the Republican primary.

Each candidate said that trust in elections was a main theme of the race and proposed different changes to election procedures.

At the time of the election, Hoskins was a member of the Missouri Senate who assumed office in 2017. He served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2009 to 2017. Hoskins said that his involvement in passing legislation requiring identification to vote showed his experience in election reforms and that these changes “have made Missouri’s elections among the most secure in the nation.” He also said he supported counting ballots by hand to increase confidence in elections.

Gomez was a real estate investor who received national attention for her social media presence. Gomez said she would support requiring identification to vote and would remove electronic voting machines, transitioning Missouri “to a secure, transparent paper-based system, addressing concerns of cyber threats, and manipulation.” She also said, “Deploying the National Guard to oversee Missouri’s voting polls is a pragmatic step, ensuring impartiality, deterring interference, and bolstering public confidence.”

Plocher was a member of the Missouri House since 2016 and was elected Speaker of the House in 2023. He said that his involvement in passing legislation that required voter ID also showed his experience in election reforms. Plocher opposed ballot drop boxes, where voters can return their absentee ballots, saying they had been “used by liberals to steal our elections.” He also said he would enforce Missouri citizenship in voting, saying “We must protect the integrity of our elections and only allow those that are legal residents of this state and citizens of this country to participate in Missouri elections.”

At the time of the election, Schoeller was the county clerk for Greene County, Missouri, since 2014. He served in the Missouri House from 2007 to 2013 and was the Republican candidate for the 2012 Missouri Secretary of State election, when Democrat Jason Kander defeated him 48.9% to 47.4%. Schoeller said that, if elected, he would “protect Missouri’s Voter ID law.” He said he opposed ballot drop boxes and that the state should require signature verification for absentee ballots. Schoeller also said he would “stop efforts to allow non-citizens to vote.”

Also running in the primary were Mike Carter (R), Mary Coleman (R), Jamie Corley (R), and Adam Schwadron (R).