Missouri Gov. Mike Parson Appoints New Attorney General

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signs a bill banning most abortions in Jefferson City, Mo., on May 24, 2019. Summer Balentine/AP Photo

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced on Nov. 23 that he has appointed his former general counsel Andrew Bailey to succeed state Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who was elected to the U.S. Senate earlier this month.

Bailey will complete Schmitt’s term, which ends in 2024. Schmitt won the Senate seat after defeating his Democrat rival, Trudy Busch Valentine, by a vote margin of 14.8 percent.

“Andrew Bailey is the right candidate to lead Missourians as our next attorney general,” Parson said. “While it’s bittersweet to lose Andrew on our team, it gives us peace of mind to know his talents and passion for the rule of law and public service will be so well utilized as attorney general.”

“I want to thank Gov. Parson, the entire governor’s office team, and of course my wife and children for their love and support,” Bailey said on Nov. 23 during the state Capitol press conference to announce his appointment.

“I’m excited to get to work on behalf of Missourians—to uphold the rule of law, protect freedoms, and ensure our kids and grandkids inherit a better world.”

While serving as Parson’s general counsel, Bailey kept a relatively low public profile. His closest brush with the media came after he helped craft talking points for the governor’s office to advocate for the criminal prosecution of a journalist who had reported finding a security flaw on a Missouri state website. Following the report in October 2021, Parson vowed to prosecute St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Josh Renaud for “hacking.”

For Parson, it’s the second time in his tenure that he has appointed an attorney general. The first time was in 2018, when he named Schmitt to succeed Josh Hawley after he won his own bid for the U.S. Senate.

Bailey’s appointment hasn’t been met with universal support.

“PLEASE DO NOT appoint Andrew Bailey as Attorney General for Missouri!!” Jackson County Republican Chairman Mark Anthony Jones wrote Parson in a letter, citing “little experience,” reported The Missouri Independent.

Missouri House Democrats issued a statement calling on Bailey to dismiss Schmitt’s lawsuits challenging President Joe Biden on COVID-19 vaccinations, greenhouse gas emissions, immigration, and other Democratic policies.

Parson also faces the task of appointing a new treasurer before the end of the year, following the Nov. 8 victory of Missouri state Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick to become state auditor of Missouri. Fitzpatrick was appointed treasurer in 2018 and elected for a full term in 2020.