Missouri Republican Jay Ashcroft opts out of scramble to succeed Blunt in Senate
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft won’t be running for U.S. Senate.
Ashcroft, a Republican and Missouri’s top election official who has won two statewide races by large margins, was seen as one of top contenders to replace retiring Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt in 2022.
He said Monday that he would consider the race.. Two days later, he opted out of the scramble to succeed Blunt.
“After intense, prayerful consideration we have decided to remain devoted to the work Missouri voters have entrusted to me as secretary of state,” Ashcroft said in a statement posted to Twitter. “Our hearts are in Missouri and we cherish the opportunity to continue raising our family here.”
Despite Ashcroft’s absence, the GOP primary race still promises to be crowded.
Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Rep. Ann Wagner, St. Louis businessman John Brunner and former Gov. Eric Greitens have all hinted at possible campaigns.
Republican operatives saw Ashcroft as a strong potential candidate in the crowded field, given his name recognition and the heightened focus on state election process following the 2020 campaign season. By sitting out the Senate race, however, he might be preserving his political capital for a future gubernatorial run.
His father, John Ashcroft, served two terms as governor and one term in the Senate from 1995 to 2001 before serving as U.S. attorney general under George W. Bush.
The elder Ashcroft famously lost his Senate re-election campaign to Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan, weeks after Carnahan died in a plane crash. Carnahan’s widow, Jean Carnahan, took the Senate seat after her husband’s posthumous victory and served two years.
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Missouri Republican Jay Ashcroft opts out of scramble to succeed Blunt in Senate."
