JEFFERSON CITY — A Clayton attorney filed paperwork Wednesday to run for an unspecified statewide office, setting up a possible matchup in 2024 for Gov. Mike Parson’s pick as attorney general.
Will Scharf, who stepped down last week as an assistant U.S. attorney in Ƶ, will begin raising money for a statewide bid as a Republican. He did not say which office he will seek, but all indications point to attorney general.
“I’ve put hardened criminals in prison, and I’ve put constitutional conservatives on the Supreme Court. Now I’m stepping up again. Earlier today, I formed ‘Citizens for Scharf’ to run for statewide office in Missouri in 2024,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
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Scharf, 36, is a former top aide to former Gov. Eric Greitens, helping the scandal-plagued Republican in his run for office in 2016 and serving as policy director until Greitens left office under a cloud of scandal in 2018.
While working for Greitens, the governor rolled out plans for stringent restrictions on abortion as well as changes to how the state picks its judges. Scharf played a role in crafting the former governor’s positions.
In addition to handling criminal cases for the U.S. Department of Justice for the past two years, Scharf served in the office that handles vetting for federal judges.
Scharf is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
“Now is not the time to compromise or cut deals with the woke left. Missourians deserve leadership that will stand up for them against federal overreach, special interests, and political insiders. Missourians deserve leaders who will fight for what’s right,” he said on his new campaign website.
Scharf’s entry into the 2024 election season comes as Gov. Mike Parson has already pledged his full support to Andrew Bailey, his general counsel and pick to replace U.S. Sen.-elect Eric Schmitt as attorney general.
In addition to touting Bailey’s legal credentials and experience in the Army, Parson said he wanted stability in the office after the last two attorneys general — Schmitt and Josh Hawley — announced their Senate campaigns shortly after clinching the attorney general post.
Bailey is set to take over for Schmitt in January after Schmitt is sworn in as senator.
Bailey could have more company in the race.
John Wood, a former U.S. attorney for Missouri’s western district, who briefly ran as an independent candidate for U.S. Senate this year, said Friday he had not made a decision to seek the seat.
Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, a Parkville Republican, also has been touted as a potential candidate after he changed the name of his campaign account from “Luetkemeyer for Senate” to “Luetkemeyer for Missouri.”
Another attorney, incoming House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, has a healthy campaign account and is unable to run for reelection to the House in 2024.
Tim Garrison, the former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri, also could enter the fray.