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Missouri state executive official elections, 2016

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Missouri Executive Official Elections
Top Ballot
Governor • Lt. Governor
Attorney General • Secretary of State
Treasurer
Down Ballot
None

The Show Me State
Key election dates
Filing deadline (major parties):
March 29, 2016
Primary date:
August 2, 2016
Filing deadline (general election):
August 23, 2016
General election date:
November 8, 2016
Recount request deadline:
TBD
Inauguration:
January 9, 2017

Five state executive offices in Missouri were up for election in 2016:

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Missouri has a divided government and is regarded as a swing state, with both Democrats and Republicans winning statewide elections in recent years.
  • All five offices up for election were open races in 2016 and were expected to be highly competitive.
  • All five seats were won by Republicans, four of which changed party hands. Republicans also won the governorship, earning the party trifecta control of the state.

    • Context of the 2016 elections[edit]

    Primary elections[edit]

    A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. Missouri utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[1][2][3]

    Missouri's primary elections took place on August 2, 2016.

    Party control in Missouri[edit]

    Missouri had a divided government after Governor Jay Nixon (D) assumed office in 2009, which ended a four-year Republican trifecta. Prior to that, Democrats had trifecta control of the state government from 1993 to 2000. The governorship in Missouri tended to alternate party hands from the 1970s to the 2016 election, with no party controlling the seat for more than 12 years continuously. Democrat Claire McCaskill represented Missouri in the U.S. Senate from 2007 to the 2016 election; she served alongside Roy Blunt (R), who was elected in 2011.

    2016 elections[edit]

    Races we watched[edit]

    Governor[edit]

    Missouri's gubernatorial election in 2016 was one of the most-watched contests for governor in 2016. Republican Eric Greitens won the seat—which had previously been held by a Democrat—giving the Republican Party trifecta control of the state.

    HIGHLIGHTS
  • Democratic Governor Jay Nixon was ineligible for re-election due to term limits.
  • Former Navy Seal and nonprofit CEO Eric Greitens (R) defeated Attorney General Chris Koster in the November general election. Greitens' victory earned Republicans trifecta control of the state.
  • Eric Greitens defeated Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, businessman John Brunner, and former state House Speaker Catherine Hanaway in the August 2 Republican primary election.
  • The race was rated as a Toss-up.

    • Lieutenant governor[edit]

    Missouri held an election for lieutenant governor on November 8, 2016, with a primary on August 2. Republican Mike Parson won the general election, keeping the seat in Republican hands.

    HIGHLIGHTS
  • Incumbent Peter Kinder (R) was eligible for re-election in 2016 but instead unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor, leaving the lieutenant governor election an open and highly competitive race.
  • Though Republicans have held the seat since 2005, Democrats had controlled the office for most of the 80 years prior.
  • Former U.S. Congressman Russ Carnahan won the Democratic nomination on August 2 and competed with state Senator Mike Parson, who won the Republican nomination, Libertarian Steven Hedrick, Green Party candidate Jennifer Leach, and write-in Jake Wilburn in the November 8 general election.
  • Parson won the general election on November 8, 2016.

    • Attorney general[edit]

    Missouri held an election for attorney general on November 8, 2016, with primary elections held on August 2. Republican Josh Hawley won election to the seat, which had previously been held by Democrats.

    HIGHLIGHTS
  • Incumbent Attorney General Chris Koster (D), although eligible for re-election to a third term, did not run, having decided to run for governor of Missouri instead.
  • Cass County Prosecutor Teresa Hensley defeated Jake Zimmerman in the August 2 Democratic primary election. Law professor Josh Hawley defeated state Sen. Kurt Schaefer in the Republican primary election.
  • The general election was rated as a Toss-up; Democrats were at risk of losing control of the seat in November.
  • Hawley won the general election on November 8, 2016.

    • Secretary of state[edit]

    Missouri held an election for secretary of state on November 8, 2016. Republican Jay Ashcroft won the seat, which had previously been held by Democrats.

    HIGHLIGHTS
  • Incumbent Jason Kander (D) declined to seek re-election, running for the United States Senate instead.
  • Democrats have controlled the office for most of the past seven decades.
  • Retired news anchor Robin Smith (D) and attorney Jay Ashcroft (R) won their parties' nominations on August 2. The two competed along with Chris Morrill (Lib.), who ran unopposed in his party's primary election, in November.
  • Ashcroft won the general election on November 8, 2016.

    • Elections by office[edit]

    Governor[edit]

    Lieutenant governor[edit]

    Attorney general[edit]

    Secretary of State[edit]

    Treasurer[edit]


    Voter registration[edit]

    For full information about voting in Missouri, contact the state election agency.

    Registration[edit]

    Missouri utilizes an open primary system, meaning voters are not required to declare a party preference when registering to vote.

    To vote in Missouri, you must be 18 years old, a United States citizen and Missouri resident.[11]

    Online registration[edit]

    See also: Online voter registration

    Missouri does not permit online voter registration.


    Past elections[edit]

    2015[edit]

    There were no state executive elections in Missouri in 2015.

    2014[edit]

    The Missouri Auditor was the only state executive office in Missouri up for election in 2014.

    2013[edit]

    There were no elections in Missouri in 2013.

    2012[edit]

    Five state executive offices were up for election including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer.

    State profile[edit]

    Demographic data for Missouri
     MissouriU.S.
    Total population:6,076,204316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):68,7423,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:82.6%73.6%
    Black/African American:11.5%12.6%
    Asian:1.8%5.1%
    Native American:0.4%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
    Two or more:2.4%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:3.9%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:88.4%86.7%
    College graduation rate:27.1%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$48,173$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:18.2%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Missouri.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    Presidential voting pattern[edit]

    See also: Presidential voting trends in Missouri

    Missouri voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.


    More Missouri coverage on Ballotpedia

    See also[edit]

    Missouri State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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    Missouri State Executive Offices
    Missouri State Legislature
    Missouri Courts
    2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
    Missouri elections: 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
    Party control of state government
    State government trifectas
    State of the state addresses
    Partisan composition of governors

    External links[edit]

    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures Website, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 6, 2014
    2. ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
    3. ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
    4. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "Unofficial Candidate Filing List," accessed March 31, 2016
    5. ↑ KOMU, "Republican Randy Asbury drops out of race for governor," September 25, 2015
    6. ↑ Dave Helling, The Kansas City Star, "Sen. Bob Dixon drops Missouri governor bid," November 24, 2015
    7. ↑ Steve Kraske, The Kansas City Star, "GOP source: Mike Parson will switch from governor's race to lieutenant governor," July 24, 2015
    8. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "Unofficial candidate filing list," accessed April 2, 2016
    9. ↑ The Missouri Times, "January 28, 2016
    10. ↑ Facebook, "Missouri Lt. Governor Race, elect Mary Bower," accessed August 25, 2015
    11. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "Register to Vote," accessed June 10, 2014
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