With less than a month until the Missouri primary, candidates in several statewide races are scrambling to put together last-minute strategies before they appear on the ballot, including the race for Missouri Secretary of State.
Missouri’s current Secretary of State is Jay Ashcroft, who is running for Governor.
The Secretary of State is Missouri’s chief elections official, administering statewide elections involving individuals and issues and overseeing local verification of initiative petition signatures.
The Secretary of State’s Office serves as the information center for the state of Missouri. Both the State Archives and the Missouri State Library fall under this office.
The Secretary of State also oversees the registration of businesses in Missouri, may certify the Governor’s official acts, and has the power to appoint and commission notaries public.
Missouri’s primary election will be held on Tuesday, August 6th. This election will narrow the field of candidates and determine who will run as each party’s nominee in the general election in November.
Ahead of the election, 12 people are running for Missouri secretary of state, including eight Republicans, three Democrats and one Libertarian. The News-Leader was able to speak with 10 of the candidates, including all three Democrats, about their backgrounds, campaigns and hopes for the post.
more:What’s on the ballot in Springfield and Greene counties in the August primary election
Haley Jacobson
Democratic candidate Haley Jacobson has held many different jobs throughout her life.
A native of St. Louis, Jacobson is a graduate of Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and a recent graduate of the Goldfarb School of Nursing in St. Louis. Throughout her interdisciplinary career, Jacobson has worked as a paramedic, a teacher in China and Cambodia, and a loan officer for the International Institute of St. Louis.
Currently, she is a certified nurse practitioner working in the NICU at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and the adult emergency room at Saint Louis University.
In an interview with the News-Leader, Jacobson said his interests are two-fold: promoting business education and supporting libraries.
“One of the things I did as a loan officer for the International Institute was work directly with immigrants and refugees who wanted to start their own businesses, helping them write business plans and do market research so they could launch and be successful,” Jacobson said. “That experience got me really interested in how Missouri’s business rules work. I think they can be a little complicated and confusing in places, but I don’t think they have to be.”
more:The Springfield News-Leader app gives you access to news and today’s newspaper wherever you are
Specifically, Jacobson said he wants to expand office hours for customer service support, as well as expand the technology the Secretary of State’s Office provides to business owners.
Jacobson described himself as a “lifelong learner” and said libraries have played a “huge role” in his education. As secretary of state, Jacobson will be interested in supporting libraries in underserved areas.
Jacobson told the News-Leader on June 28 that much of her campaign work has been done through word of mouth from friends and family, and she does not have a formal campaign team.
Barbara Pfeiffer
Democratic candidate Barbara Pfeiffer is looking to further her career in Missouri politics.
A native of Columbia, Missouri, Pfeiffer has lived and worked in the St. Louis area for the past 34 years. He attended Cornell University in Mount Vernon, Iowa, where he earned a master’s degree in theology. He served as a United Methodist pastor for 41 years before retiring in 2019. In 2020, he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives to represent the 90th Congressional District, which includes St. Louis County.
As a candidate, Pfeiffer’s two main concerns are elections and local libraries.
Pfeiffer said she would like to see more “clear and precise” ballot language, specifically expressing concern about current Secretary of State Ashcroft’s attempt to ban abortion rights in the state constitution in 2023.
more:Missouri Supreme Court will not hear Jay Ashcroft’s abortion voting summary appeal
“The abortion amendment ballot language written by the current Secretary of State was so biased that the Missouri Supreme Court, in a surprise decision, struck it down. That concerns me greatly.”
Speaking of elections, Pfeiffer also said he would like to show more gratitude to election officials.
On libraries, Pfeiffer said he wants to continue to make the state’s library system more “robust” and allow local organizations to delegate control over running their local libraries.
“To me, this seems like a good system,” Pfeiffer said. “Libraries across the state are going to have different kinds of books to accommodate the diverse population. It’s up to the local organizations to figure that out. It doesn’t make sense to operate any other way.”
Pfeiffer added that parents, not libraries or the government, should decide what their children read.
During his campaign, Pfeiffer visited Springfield for the Greene County Democratic Party’s Ozark Mountain Day in April.
As of June 26, Pfeiffer has received endorsements from the St. Louis Labor Council, the Missouri AFL-CIO Political Education Committee, the Sierra Club, the Missouri Women’s Political Conference, PROMO, and Abortion Action.
Monique Williams
Democrat Monique Williams is a retiree seeking state government.
Williams is a lifelong St. Louis resident. In 2022, she retired from the City of St. Louis as an auditor and accountant. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri-St. Louis and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant. Prior to working for the City of St. Louis, she worked for the Missouri State Auditor’s Office.
In an interview with the News-Leader, Williams said his main focuses will be elections, business registration resources and public libraries.
Williams said his main focus in the election will be investigating why Secretary of State Ashcroft chose to take Missouri out of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) in 2023, a nationwide voluntary system intended to help states fight voter fraud.
more:Jay Ashcroft withdraws from Missouri organization that supports fighting voter fraud
As for the business registration division of the Secretary of State’s office, Williams said he wants to make resource information more available to Missourians and strengthen customer service assistance.
And when it comes to libraries, Williams said he’s especially interested in building stronger connections between libraries and school districts.
“I’m particularly interested in student reading achievement,” Williams said, “and I believe libraries have an opportunity to support school districts and help schools maintain educational standards that are evolving as fast as technology.”
Williams told the News-Leader on July 2 that he was just starting his campaign with the support of friends and family and had no plans to visit Springfield.
Greta Cross is a trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. She has over five years of journalism experience covering everything from Ozark history to Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ community. Follow her on X and on Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Have a story idea? Email her at gretacrossphoto.gcross@news-leader.com.
