By Anna Spoerre
His opponent, Will Scharf, conceded the race shortly before 8:30 p.m. with Bailey leading 62% to 37%.
Bailey was appointed attorney general by Gov. Mike Parson in November 2022. At the time Bailey was Parson’s general counsel and had no experience in elected office.
An Army veteran and former assistant prosecutor, Bailey has said much of his career has been shaped by his time as an assistant prosecutor and county juvenile office in Missouri.
Among his most high-profile cases since becoming attorney general include twice suing to block federal student loan forgiveness, and carrying forward a lawsuit alleging the Biden administration was censoring conservatives online by pressuring social media companies.
Bailey has also claimed credit for the closure of Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and for driving former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner out of office.
But he’s faced accusations of corruption, incompetence and grandstanding, with his critics alleging he’s more interested in scoring appearances on Fox News than effectively running the sprawling office or winning in the courtroom.
Bailey recused himself from a gambling lawsuit filed against the Missouri State Highway Patrol after PACs connected to the lobbyist of the companies suing the state wrote checks to the committee supporting Bailey’s campaign.
He was also criticized for accepting $50,000 in campaign donations from Doe Run, a St. Louis-based company being sued by thousands of Peruvians over allegations of lead smelter poisoning in their mining town in the Andes. A few months before the donation, Bailey filed a brief asking the federal court to move the lawsuit out of Missouri.
PACs backing Scharf spent millions attacking Bailey’s record. But Bailey benefited from a late endorsement of both candidates by Trump, taking away one of Scharf’s most potent campaign messages — his close ties to the former president.
Bailey also enjoyed late support from Parson, who even used his official office to boost the attorney general in the campaign’s final days.
He will face Democratic candidate Elad Gross in the November general election. Gross, a former assistant attorney general who runs a St. Louis law firm, has been an outspoken champion of Sunshine law and, like Scharf, a fierce critic of Bailey.
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