JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 House Speaker Dean Plocher鈥檚 path to the lieutenant governor鈥檚 office next year became a bit rockier Wednesday with the emergence of another well-funded candidate for the post.
As the Des Peres Republican scrambled to address ethics problems that have generated calls for his resignation, former state Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis, moved closer to joining an already crowded Republican race for the No. 2 statewide post.
Onder, who changed his campaign committee in early August to signal a run for lieutenant governor, gave himself $500,000 Tuesday, putting him in instant contention in a GOP primary against Plocher, state Sen. Holly Rehder, Franklin County Clerk Tim Baker and unsuccessful congressional candidate Paul Berry III.
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In a social media post, Onder focused on Plocher鈥檚 plight, which stems from filing false travel reimbursements dating to 2018.
鈥淭his looks and smells like embezzlement. It鈥檚 documented, happened 9 times over years, and he only reimbursed after being caught. Plocher is the Swamp and should resign,鈥 , formerly known as Twitter.
Onder, 61, is a physician who served two terms in the state Senate. When he left office in 2022, he was a leader of a splinter faction of conservative Republicans who upended the Senate over issues like abortion funding.
Until Tuesday鈥檚 six-figure campaign contribution, the St. Charles County Republican had not been actively raising funds to run for office, Missouri Ethics Commission reports say.
In a statement to the Post-Dispatch Wednesday, Onder said, 鈥淎t this point I鈥檒l say that I am seriously considering a statewide race and that it is highly likely that I will be running for Lieutenant Governor.鈥
Plocher鈥檚 woes provide Onder an opening. Sen. Bill Eigel, a key Onder ally who is running for governor, called on the speaker to step down Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the speaker continued to assess the damage stemming from his travel costs. He wrote another check to reimburse the state for filing a false expense report.
The $618 check will cover expenses he claimed for a downtown hotel in 狐狸视频 that hosted a legislative conference in 2018. In explaining the repayment, he called the initial reimbursement request inadvertent.
The latest check brings the total he has repaid to the state to $3,997.
According to a Post-Dispatch review of Plocher鈥檚 House travel records and his campaign account, the speaker spent campaign funds to register for conferences, buy airfare and book hotels but then asked to be reimbursed with taxpayer funds.
Plocher, an attorney and former municipal judge who has one more year in the speaker post, has called the financial missteps first reported by the Missouri Independent a mistake and has lashed out at critics who say he should step down.
鈥淭he sideshows and political spectacle must end so we can get back to doing the important work Missourians expect of us,鈥 Plocher said in a social media post.
But Plocher also faces scrutiny for unsuccessfully trying to muscle a nearly $800,000 software contract through the House outside of the normal bidding process. The nonpartisan House staff balked at the proposed purchase because a similar in-house program is already available.
In the dust-up, however, he fired his chief of staff, a longtime Capitol employee who had served three previous speakers.
The House Ethics Committee, which polices lawmakers, is set to meet Friday. It is not clear what issues may be discussed, but the outcome could become a factor in Plocher鈥檚 political future.
The vice chairman of the panel is Assistant House Minority Leader Richard Brown, D-Kansas City. Brown, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, declined comment on the hearing, citing the committee鈥檚 confidentiality rules.