Gov. Parson announces three endorsements for Missouri state offices

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Outgoing Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has announced three endorsements for state offices , including an endorsement for a potential successor at governor.

While in office, Parson has appointed five statewide elected seats, the most of any governor in the history of the state and it’s because of those appointments that he is endorsing candidates in the governor, attorney general and treasurer’s races.

He says he will not be endorsing in the lieutenant governor or the secretary of state races.

“It’s based on faith, it’s based on family and it’s based on freedom,” Parson said in an exclusive interview with our Missouri Chief Capitol Bureau Reporter Emily Manley. “All of them come from very humble beginnings.”

With just months left in office, the governor said he wants the candidates he picked for office to continue succeeding in the state.

“It’s the people that have been very loyal to me,” Parson said. “When you look at the Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, you look at Treasurer Vivek Malek, you look at Andrew Bailey the attorney general, all of these guys come to work to help me in some of the most difficult times in our state’s history.”

Parson appointed Vivek Malek to be state treasurer in 2022, after Scott Fitzpatrick was voted in as state auditor. The governor’s appointment making history, as Malek is the first minority to serve in a statewide office.

“Vivek came here with nothing in his pocket educated himself, worked hard, started his own business, raised a family and then the other thing, above all, he was qualified to do the job and he’s done a great job,” Parson said.

Attorney General Andrew Bailey was also appointed in 2022, after Eric Schmitt was elected by Missouri voters to serve as a U.S. Senator to replace Roy Blunt. The Army veteran previously served as the governor’s legal counsel but then Parson selected him to be Missouri’s top prosecutor.

“I will tell you that what I’ve asked him to do is to push back against the federal government, almost every day he was in this office and I’ve asked him to do the same as the attorney general for the state of Missouri and he’s delivered on everything I’ve asked him to do,” Parson said.

As for his successor, Parson is endorsing Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe after the two previously served together in the Senate. Parson was elected in 2016 to serve as lieutenant governor until former Gov. Eric Greitens resigned in 2018, leaving Gov. Parson to choose a second in command.

“I knew he would follow the policy of this administration because we believe in a lot of the same things,” Parson said. “I mean, we believed in lowering taxes, we believed in jobs, we believed in creating new companies and all the way, he’s been right there to help. I didn’t want a lieutenant governor that was just a name and status figure. I wanted somebody to go to work.”

Parson said the candidates he’s chosen all have one thing in common, they’ve had to work for everything they have and they always put Missourians first.

“I don’t have anything against those other candidates, but I appointed all three of these, so it’s very special circumstances, unusual circumstances as to why this happened,” Parson said. “I’ve known them, I’ve picked them and I’ve seen what their job performance is and all three of them have done a great job.”

Parson said it’s rare for a governor to make an endorsement for a primary race, but felt it was necessary. He said he does not plan on making any more endorsements before the Aug. 6 primary.

“I think the reason I picked the people I did is because I want them to have a public servant’s heart,” Parson said. “I don’t want them there just to run for the next campaign, I want them to be serving the people of the state of Missouri and all of those guys have done that and they have a proven record of it.”

Parson will depart from his office of Missouri Governor in January 2025 after serving two terms.

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