A Rhineland resident and a top staff member in the governor’s office will be Missouri’s next attorney general.

Andrew Bailey, 41, who has served as general counsel for Gov. Mike Parson for the last year, will replace Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who was elected to the U.S. Senate earlier this month. Bailey will complete Schmitt’s term, which ends in 2024.

Parson made the announcement on the morning of Nov. 23.
According to the governor’s office, Bailey has roughly eight years of professional experience as an attorney, including stints working as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Warren County and as an assistant attorney general. His previous jobs in the Parson administration were as deputy general counsel for the governor and general counsel for the Missouri Department of Corrections.

He is an Army veteran that was awarded two Army Achievement medals, an Army Commendation medal, a Combat Action badge and two Bronze Star medals for his service.

Bailey has never held elected office.

“My entire career has been defined by public service,” Bailey said. “Now, I’m ready to continue that service as your Attorney General, where I will work tirelessly to earn your trust and never stop fighting on your behalf.”

Bailey has been Parson’s top choice for the job all along. The governor spoke with other potential candidates — former U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison, Cole County Judge Chris Limbaugh, former state Sen. Kurt Schaefer and state Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer —but never wavered from Bailey.

On Nov. 23, Bailey pushed back on any suggestion he doesn’t have the needed experience to be attorney general.

“I’m battle tested and I am ready for this job,” Bailey said.

Parson said one of his top considerations on who to appoint was stability in the office that has seen the last two incumbents leave for higher office.

“Stability was critical when considering the next attorney general,” Parson said.

Bailey vowed to run for the office in two years.

Parson said Bailey was critical to much of the governor’s agenda over the last few years, pointing specifically at efforts to “end elective abortions in Missouri” and “strengthen the Second Amendment protections.”

He also gave Bailey credit for efforts the governor’s office has made to close over 2,000 clemency files and fill more than 100 judicial openings.

Bailey’s appointment marks the second time Parson has selected a new attorney general.

Schmitt got the job in 2018, after then-Attorney General Josh Hawley was elected to the Senate.

“Few Missouri governors have had the opportunity and responsibility to appoint an attorney general on the behalf of the people of Missouri once, let alone twice,” Parson said.

A day before being appointed, Bailey was a guest speaker at a Kiwanis meeting in AJ’s Restaurant in Montgomery City on Nov. 22. For most of the meeting, he talked about how judicial appointments are made in the state.

“One of the things we do at the Governor’s office is anytime there’s a vacancy on the bench in Missouri, the governor can appoint someone to backfill the vacancy,” Bailey said.

Bailey shared a spreadsheet with the Kiwanis members that included judicial appointments that every governor has made since 1980. Parson has made 105 appointments since he took over office in 2018.

“We’re really proud of the work that we have done,” Bailey said. “We think we’ll probably eclipse the number of appointments that Gov. (Jay) Nixon made (145). Maybe we could match the number of appointments that Gov. (John) Ashcroft made (132). But that’s a huge legacy because the people the governor puts on the bench today will be serving for the next 30 years.”

Theo Tate contributed to this story.