In mid-March, Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden announced he was no longer running for secretary of state.
At the time, Rowden was one of five Republican candidates for the office. By the end of the filing deadline, that number ballooned to eight.
Anita Manion, assistant professor of political science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, said Rowden dropping out was a catalyst for others to decide to run.
“All of a sudden you see these sort of bigger name candidates jumping in and jumping away from other races,” Manion said.
The Republican candidates for secretary of state are:
- Wentzville Municipal Judge Mike Carter
- State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman
- St. Louis County resident and political strategist Jamie Corley
- St. Louis resident Valentina Gomez
- State Sen. Denny Hoskins
- Speaker of the House Dean Plocher
- Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller
- State Rep. Adam Schwadron
For the Democrats, state Rep. Barbara Phifer is the most notable candidate running.
The primary is Aug. 6, leaving candidates only about three weeks to make their case to voters.
Mike Carter
The Wentzville municipal judge is no stranger to a campaign. Carter ran for a state Senate seat in 2022, losing by roughly 3% in the Republican primary.
Carter has also run for statewide positions, including lieutenant governor in 2020.
He said he decided to run for secretary of state because he believed it was the most attainable office.
“I identified the secretary of state's office as having the least amount of competition, the least amount of dollars dedicated to it, and the largest opening for me to repeat what I did in the past and just ascend right to the position,” Carter said.
According to the July campaign fundraising report, Carter contributed over $54,000 to his own campaign this quarter. According to that same report, he has no money on hand.
Carter has self-fundraised in the past, including putting in $500,000 of his own money into his state Senate campaign in 2022.
Mary Elizabeth Coleman
Coleman initially filed for Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District seat. That’s open this year because Blaine Luetkemeyer is retiring.
Colman said she believed she would have won that race but ultimately didn’t like the idea of going to Washington and also found the secretary of state’s office a better fit.
Coleman said she’s dedicated to looking at Missouri’s voter rolls to make sure noncitizens aren’t voting in state elections.
“If Missourians are worried about who is going to make sure that there's no illegals voting in the state of Missouri and that our elections are secure from that illegal interference, then I'm the candidate that's focused on that issue,” Coleman said.
Coleman currently serves as the state senator for Missouri’s 22nd District, which includes part of Jefferson County. She was first elected to that position in 2022.
She has raised $120,000 this quarter, according to the July campaign finance report. Her campaign has raised almost $195,000 for this election cycle. She has about $122,000 on hand.
Jamie Corley
Corley cited Rowden’s decision to drop out of the race as her reason for jumping in since she didn’t see anyone she would vote for.
The St. Louis County resident and political strategist is the executive director of the Missouri Women and Family Research Fund, which is an organization centered on women’s health care.
Corley made headlines in 2023 when she filed a proposed constitutional amendment that would have overturned Missouri’s abortion ban. She eventually withdrew the proposal due to a competing amendment.
Corley said she believes her stance on abortion as a conservative is similar to what other Missouri Republicans believe.
“I believe I am spot on with Republicans in Missouri that abortion bans go way too far. No exceptions for rape and incest is something that most Republicans don't even think is an option,” Corley said.
Corley has raised almost $279,000 for her campaign, according to the July finance report. That includes $250,000 that Corley contributed herself through a loan. She has about $272,000 on hand.
Valentina Gomez
Gomez was one of the candidates who filed for secretary of state on the first day.
Gomez is in favor of abolishing the state’s voting machines and instead requiring hand-counting of ballots. She wants to deploy the National Guard to oversee Missouri’s elections.
Her campaign videos on social media sites like X, formerly known as Twitter, such as one in which she called detractors “weak and gay,” have drawn national attention.
According to campaign finance reports, Gomez has raised $21,000 for this election cycle. That includes $15,000 this past quarter. She has almost $13,000 on hand.
Denny Hoskins
Hoskins is the current state senator for Missouri’s 21st District, which includes Cooper and Ray counties. He was first elected in 2016 and is now term-limited. Hoskins also served in the Missouri House.
He’s a former member of the Senate’s conservative caucus and a current member of the Missouri Freedom Caucus.
Hoskins and his fellow caucus members have clashed with Republican leadership the past few sessions, including over the budget and a proposed constitutional amendment that would have made it harder to amend Missouri’s constitution.
Hoskins differs from some of his fellow candidates because he wants to require Missouri to hand-count paper ballots.
“Would it require some more manpower in order for us to do that? Most certainly. But I think overall it would be safer,” Hoskins said.
Hoskins was one of the early candidates for secretary of state.
According to campaign finance reports, Hoskins has raised almost $217,000 for this campaign, with $16,000 in this past quarter. He had $72,000 on hand at the end of the latest quarter.
Dean Plocher
When Plocher first filed for the August primary, he was seeking to become Missouri’s next lieutenant governor.
Plocher also cited Rowden’s departure from the race as a reason for switching to secretary of state. He believes that position better fits his experience, which includes volunteering as an election judge.
He currently serves as the Missouri speaker of the House. Plocher served in that position in both 2023 and 2024. Prior to that, he was the Republican House floor leader. He was first elected as a representative in a special election in 2015.
Earlier this year he was under investigation for possible ethical misconduct when he allegedly advocated for a new software contract for the House, fired a former staffer and filed false expense reimbursement reports.
The House Ethics Committee ultimately dismissed the complaint. A subsequent lawsuit is pending against Plocher and his chief of staff.
Plocher said he doesn’t believe the investigation or lawsuit will negatively affect his campaign.
“I think that actually makes me a better candidate, because they're attacking me for the successes we've had as a whole in the House, because we passed conservative legislation,” Plocher said.
Campaign finance reports show Plocher has raised almost $12,000 for this quarter. He has $508,000 on hand.
Shane Schoeller
Schoeller was the Republican nominee for secretary of state in 2012, where he lost to Democrat Jason Kander.
In 2014, Schoeller was elected Greene County clerk, where he has served since. In that office, Schoeller has overseen elections in the county for the past decade.
“I strongly believe we need someone who has election experience to become the next secretary of state,” Schoeller said.
Schoeller said an advantage he has as a county clerk in this election is that he knows how to build relationships with other election officials.
On whether Missouri should make it harder to amend its constitution, Schoeller said while he would like the state’s constitution to be smaller, he doesn’t think Missouri voters would approve such an amendment.
Prior to serving as Greene County clerk, Schoeller was a member of the Missouri House from 2007 to 2012.
Schoeller’s campaign has raised $196,000 this election cycle, according to the latest campaign finance report. That includes the nearly $40,000 he raised this quarter. Schoeller has $11,000 on hand.
Adam Schwadron
The St. Charles Republican said he decided to run for secretary of state because of his experience serving on the House Elections Committee and his passion for elections.
He also said there are other aspects of the secretary of state’s office, like business registrations and dealing with Missouri’s libraries, that he believes he would excel in.
Schwadron is in agreement with most of his fellow candidates in that it needs to be harder to amend Missouri’s constitution.
However, he also believes that voters’ interests should be better protected when they vote to change state law. Currently there is nothing in place that stops lawmakers from immediately changing or repealing statutory changes approved by voters.
“What I am calling for is … it would take 75% of the House and 75% of the Senate to override any changes made by the people,” Schwadron said.
Schwadron was first elected to the House in 2020. He won reelection in 2022 by 99 votes.
For this election, Schwadron has raised almost $115,000, according to the July report. That includes $9,000 raised this quarter. He has $78,000 on hand.
