Wasinger, Bailey, Malek, Hoskins win state offices

Republicans took top Missouri state offices in the general election Tuesday, Nov. 5.

David Wasinger won the position of lieutenant governor, Andrew Bailey will remain state attorney general for another four years, treasurer Vivek Malek won a full term and state Sen. Denny Hoskins will take over as secretary of state.

Wasinger bested Democrat Richard Brown.

Wasinger, who describes humble beginnings as a Hardee’s worker and paper boy, is a St. Louis-based attorney who “took on Wall Street banks” following the 2008 financial crisis in fraud cases. Winning the cases, he secured tens of millions for his clients.

The lieutenant governor is next in line for governor, sits on various boards and breaks ties in the state Senate. In Missouri, unlike many other states, the lieutenant governor doesn’t run on a ticket with the governor.

Wasinger repeatedly connects himself to former U.S. President Donald Trump, labeling himself a “MAGA conservative.”

Bailey defeated Democrat Elad Gross.

Bailey has held the office since November 2022, when he was appointed attorney general by GOP Gov. Mike Parson after his predecessor won a U.S. Senate seat. At the time, Bailey was Parson’s general counsel and had never run for elected office.

Bailey has vowed to continue fighting the Biden administration and strengthening consumer protection.

His most high-profile cases since becoming attorney general include twice suing to block federal student loan forgiveness, and carrying forward a lawsuit alleging the Biden administration was censoring conservatives online by pressuring social media companies.

But he’s also faced accusations — from both Democrats and Republicans — of corruption, incompetence and grandstanding, with his critics alleging he’s more interested in scoring appearances on Fox News than effectively running the sprawling office or winning in the courtroom.

Malek, a Southeast Missouri State University alum, beat Democrat Mark Osmak.

This will be Malek’s first full term as treasurer, after taking his post as an appointment of Gov. Mike Parson in January 2023.

Malek’s campaign messaging focused on his support for a fortified U.S.-Mexico border, an issue with little to do with his work as treasurer, apart from his advocacy to divest state funds from foreign adversaries.

“It does not make sense to strengthen our adversaries or enemy nations,” he told The Independent earlier this year. “Anything that we are investing not only strengthens them but also puts our investments at risk.”

Prior to taking office, Malek worked as an immigration attorney, having immigrated to the United States himself from India in 2001. He opposes unauthorized immigration because of the “additional burden on the healthcare and education systems.”

Hoskins defeated Democratic state Rep. Barbara Phifer.

“The right to vote is fundamental,” Hoskins said, “and I will work hard to ensure voters know that their ballots are safe and that our elections are secure.”

Hoskins, a certified public accountant and former member of the Army National Guard, has been running with promises of “election integrity” and “protecting children.”

During the campaign, he advocated for a switch to hand-counted ballots, eliminating voting machines. The idea has been criticized by local election officials and researchers.

Hoskins would like to audit voter rolls, hoping to eliminate ineligible voters. He also seeks to restrict early voting to those who are disabled or serve in the military, and he would like election day to be a holiday to make it easier to get to the polls that day.