Galloway announces gubernatorial bid

Nicole Galloway says she’ll work against government corruption.

Mike Parson is all but certain he’ll run for re-election next year.

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After months of speculation, Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway made it official: She’s running for governor in 2020.

In a video posted to her Facebook page this morning, Galloway touted her work as auditor and was critical of Gov. Mike Parson.

“It’s my job to be an independent watchdog for taxpayers, to shine a light on government waste, and I found lots of it, uncovering $350 million in waste and fraud. It led to 40 criminal charges against both Republicans and Democrats. Every dollar that politicians waste or steal ought to go to your town, your roads, your schools,” Galloway said in the video. “Dark money flows from corporations and lobbyists. The governor takes their money, then does their bidding. Nothing gets done for you.”

Parson and his predecessor Eric Greitens — who resigned last year during investigations of a sex scandal and misused donor funds — were not named named in the video.

Galloway, a Democrat, registered her gubernatorial campaign for the Aug. 4, 2020, primary election with the Missouri Ethics Commission. For the three months ended June 30, she reported $132,907 in money on hand.

Incumbent Gov. Parson, a Republican from Bolivar, has not yet officially announced a re-election bid, but his candidacy seems all but certain.

He’s registered for the 2020 primary election with the MEC, with $1.1 million in money on hand for the three months ended June 30. Earlier this month, he announced the promotion of Steele Shippy, his communications director, to campaign manager for his re-election campaign, and he told Springfield Business Journal an announcement likely would be coming in September.

“September is going to be a good month,” Parson  SBJ. “I feel really good where I’m at as the governor of the state of Missouri, so I think in September you’ll probably get an answer to that question.”