JEFFERSON CITY — The top Republican in the Missouri House formally kicked off his campaign for lieutenant governor Wednesday.
Although House Speaker Dean Plocher, an attorney from Des Peres, has been running for the post for months, he had a fundraiser planned at a Chesterfield restaurant Wednesday night as he heads into what is already a crowded primary battle.
Current Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe is running for governor in 2024.
Plocher, a former prosecutor and municipal judge, is set to face state Sen. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, Franklin County Clerk Tim Baker and unsuccessful congressional candidate Paul Berry III in the GOP primary next year.
Rep. Richard Brown, the assistant minority floor leader in the House, is among Democrats seeking the post. Brown, a former Kansas City school teacher, is set to serve in his final House session in 2024 due to term limits.
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In a news release, Plocher outlined some of the themes of his campaign, which are expected to mirror some of the legislation he’ll preside over during next year’s legislative session.
“We must protect our farmland from China, our classrooms from liberal indoctrination, our families from Biden’s failed economy and our communities from the progressive crime wave,†he said.
Plocher has made tax cuts a high-profile issue in his term as speaker. He created a special committee to craft legislation addressing ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ 1% earnings tax, which is levied on all employees who work in the city, including those who commute from other communities.
He recently expanded the scope of that panel to evaluate the state’s personal property tax system.
“It is time to enable our people to retain more of their earnings, as doing so will lead to a more robust, dynamic, and resilient Missouri for all its residents,†Plocher said in a statement.
Plocher, who was elected in 2015, represents a number of ºüÀêÊÓƵ County cities, including Chesterfield, Frontenac, Kirkwood, Ladue, and Town and Country.
He has drawn scrutiny in recent months after he pushed for the House to purchase a constituent management system from a private company over the objections of nonpartisan legislative staff.
The move, which was rejected by a House committee in September, has drawn the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Missouri Independent reported last month that the FBI sent an agent to the meeting where the committee debated the purchase.
Plocher formally enters the race with a large fundraising advantage.
Rehder has a lengthier résumé in state government, starting her career in the House in 2013 before moving to the Senate in 2020.
She has taken on a number of high-profile issues in her tenure in the Statehouse, including serving as the sponsor this year of legislation prohibiting transgender girls from playing on female sports teams.
In 2017, Rehder was the lead member of a House effort to make Missouri a “right to work†state. The anti-union measure became law but was rejected by voters when it was brought to a statewide vote.
Rehder was a longtime champion of creating a prescription drug database designed to address the opioid epidemic. She said she supported the concept after watching her daughter struggle with addiction.
After years of gridlock, the prescription drug monitoring program was approved in 2021 and is set to go live this year.
Baker, of Robertsville, is running for statewide office for the first time.
He has been the Franklin County clerk since 2018.