KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson Wednesday appointed one of his top advisors as the state’s next attorney general.
Parson appointed Andrew Bailey to be the next attorney general. Bailey currently serves as Parson’s General Counsel.
Bailey was announced during a news conference Wednesday at the Capitol in Jefferson City.
“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 in prepared remarks. “God has truly blessed me and my family with the opportunities He has granted us.”
Bailey, who was joined at the press conference by his wife and four children, said he plans to carry on the “legacy of excellence” of the two previous attorneys general, Sen. Josh Hawley and Sen.-elect Eric Schmitt.
Bailey will fill out the last two years remaining on Schmitt’s term. He said Wednesday he intends to run for the office in the 2024 elections.
Wednesday’s appointment is the second such appointment that Gov. Parson has made during his tenure. Parson previously appointed Schmitt to the job when Hawley was elected to the U.S. Senate.
“The historical significance of appointing an Attorney General for the second time of our administration has not been lost on me,” Parson said in prepared remarks.
Shortly after the announcement, Missouri House of Representatives Minority Leader Crystal Quade called on Bailey to end "frivolous lawsuits" filed by Schmitt.
"For four years, Eric Schmitt used the Attorney General's office as a taxpayer-funded arm of his political campaigns, wasting public money on crackpot lawsuits that advanced his political career while tarnishing the reputation of our state," Quade said in a statement.
When asked about specific lawsuits filed previously by Schmitt, Bailey said it would take his office time to review ongoing litigation.
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