Wasinger wins GOP primary for MO lieutenant governor, Brown secures Democratic nod
This story has been updated after the Associated Press called the race for David Wasinger.
Political newcomer David Wasinger squeaked out a win in the Republican primary for Missouri lieutenant governor.
More than 20 hours after polls closed on Tuesday, the Associated Press called the race for Wasinger, from St. Louis County, at 3:18 p.m. on Wednesday. He received 31.4% of the vote, beating Sen. Lincoln Hough, from Springfield, who received 30.3% of the vote.
Wasinger claimed victory in the race just after midnight Wednesday in a post on social media. He thanked his supporters and the Missouri Republican Party, saying “let’s win in November.”
On the Democratic side, Rep. Richard Brown of Kansas City won the Democratic primary, receiving 64.9% of the vote. His opponent, Anastasia Syes of St. Louis, received 35.1%.
Wasinger is a lawyer by trade. His campaign largely centered on his lack of political connections, promising to “take a hammer to the Jefferson City establishment.”
Hough was first elected to the Senate in 2018 after previously serving in the House and the Greene County Commission. He currently serves as chair of the Senate’s powerful budget-writing committee. Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder, from Scott City, was in third place and received 21.7% of the vote.
Brown and Wasinger
The November general election will pit Wasinger, a Republican with no elected experience, against Brown, a Democrat who has served years in the General Assembly.
Brown previously worked as a teacher with Kansas City Public Schools for 23 years. One of the top Democrats in the General Assembly, Brown serves as the assistant minority floor leader.
After the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally, Brown, an outspoken proponent of gun reform, Brown pushed a constitutional amendment that would have allowed cities to enact their own rules on guns.
Last year, he railed against a Republican-led bill that would have allowed concealed carry of weapons on public transit and opposed legislation that banned gender-affirming care for minors and transgender athletes’ participation in sports.
“As a lifelong Missourian, I have concerns as I watch the direction in which our state is moving,” Brown said on his campaign website. “I am not a politician, I am a public servant who has demonstrated leadership and common sense while serving with integrity in the state legislature.”
Wasinger was born and raised in Hannibal and now lives in St. Louis County. During his campaign, he touted himself as an “America first conservative” on fiscal, social and constitutional issues. As a lawyer, Wasinger touted two cases he litigated against JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America following the 2008 financial crisis.
On his campaign website, Wasinger promised to “drain the swamp.”
“Our government is plagued by career politicians and corrupt insiders who prioritize their own interests over those of the people,” he said. “As a conservative outsider, I am committed to taking a hammer to the establishment and bringing accountability and transparency back to Jefferson City.”
The Republican race for lieutenant governor was one of the most crowded primaries this year. The other candidates were: Franklin County Clerk Tim Baker and Paul Berry III from St. Louis County. Another candidate, Matthew Porter, suspended his campaign last month.
Unlike many other states, the lieutenant governor in Missouri doesn’t run on the same ticket as the governor. The position isn’t the most public-facing and is largely in charge of presiding over the state Senate and voting in the event of a tie vote.
But the position is also second in line to the state’s most powerful executive and, on occasion, will preside as governor when the governor is absent, such as on trips or trade missions.
When former Gov. Eric Greitens was forced to resign in 2018, he was replaced by then-Lt. Gov. Mike Parson. Parson went on to win a full term. Current Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe won the Republican nomination for Missouri governor Tuesday night.
