Parson to name attorney general successor Wednesday

In this News Tribune file photo, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is seen speaking to the press just outside his Capitol office. (Julie Smith/News Tribune photo)
In this News Tribune file photo, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is seen speaking to the press just outside his Capitol office. (Julie Smith/News Tribune photo)

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson will announce the state’s new attorney general Wednesday morning.

The Republican governor is appointing his second chief law enforcement officer in a news conference at 9:30 a.m. in the State Capitol. The appointment will replace Eric Schmitt, a Republican who was elected to the U.S. Senate earlier this month.

Parson appointed Schmitt, the state’s former treasurer, to the attorney general position after former AG Josh Hawley, also a Republican, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018. Parson then appointed Republican Scott Fitzpatrick to the state treasurer position.

Fitzpatrick won his race for state auditor earlier this month, leaving Parson the responsibility of naming a new attorney general and treasurer. Both appointments will need to be approved by the state Senate.

The Missouri Independent reported earlier this month that Parson was considering tapping Andrew Bailey for the AG role.

Bailey has served as the governor’s general counsel since last year. He previously served as deputy general counsel for the governor and general counsel for the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Bailey, who has never held an elected position, is credited with creating talking points the governor used to call for the prosecution of a St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist who reported on a state website security flaw that exposed the Social Security numbers of Missouri educators.

The governor had four other candidates he was considering for the job, according to the Missouri Independent.

The state’s next attorney general will assume office in early January and serve out the remaining two years of Schmitt’s term.

Attorney general candidates can serve unlimited four-year terms. The position doesn’t require additional qualifications beyond what is required of all candidates running for public office in the state. Anyone who is a U.S. citizen, Missouri resident for at least a year, is not delinquent on taxes or campaign finance reporting and is not a felon can get the job.

The position paid an annual salary of $116,436.96 last year, according to the Missouri Accountability Portal.

The governor's office reports it will live stream Wednesday morning's press conference on its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GovMikeParson.