A St. Louis County lawyer is seeking the Republican nomination for state auditor next year.
David Wasinger, a certified public accountant, stepped into the void left by Missouri House Speaker Todd Richardson, who announced recently that he would not seek the post in 2018.
In addition to updating his campaign finance paperwork to show he’s seeking the auditor slot held by Democrat Nicole Galloway, the Huntleigh resident, 54, contributed $500,000 of his money to his campaign.
“With trust in government at an all-time low, I think it’s important to have an auditor focused on keeping government working for the people, and not the other way around,” Wasinger, a former member of the University of Missouri board of curators, said in a prepared statement.
Auditor is one of two statewide races in Missouri in 2018. The other is the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Claire McCaskill.
Republicans hold every other statewide office.
Galloway is running for election to the post after being appointed in 2015 by Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, after the death of Republican Auditor Tom Schweich.
Galloway reported $514,000 in her campaign account as of July 1.
Richardson had been lining up support for a run, but decided to forego the campaign to focus on his service as speaker in the final year of his term.
Other Republicans possibly eyeing the race include state Rep. Paul Curtman of Pacific, who also is mulling the U.S. Senate seat.
Wasinger is a 1985 University of Missouri graduate who received his law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law. His wife, Colleen, is a member of the St. Louis County Council, representing District 3.