Governor of Missouri

Missouri Governor
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$137,167
2023 FY Budget:	$7,384,306
Term limits:	2 terms
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Missouri Constitution, Article IV, Section I the Executive Department
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Governor of Missouri Mike Parson Republican Party Assumed office: 2018-06-01
Elections
Next election:	November 5, 2024
Last election:	November 3, 2020
Other Missouri Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Director • Insurance Director • Natural Resources Director • Labor Director • Public Service Commission

The Governor of the State of Missouri is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Missouri. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two terms.

Missouri has a Republican trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

Missouri has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

See also: Missouri State Legislature, Missouri House of Representatives, Missouri State Senate

Current officer

The 57th and current governor is Mike Parson, a Republican elected as lieutenant governor in 2016. He assumed office on June 1, 2018, following the resignation of Eric Greitens (R).

Authority

The state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article IV, the Executive Department.

Under Article IV, Section I:

The supreme executive power shall be vested in a governor.

Qualifications

State Executives
Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014

A candidate for governor must be:

• at least thirty years old
• a citizen of the United States for at least fifteen years
• a resident of Missouri for at least ten years

Elections

Missouri state government organizational chart

Missouri elects governors in the presidential elections, that is, in leap years. For Missouri, 2016, 2020, 2024, and 2028 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the second Monday in the January following an election.

2024

See also: Missouri gubernatorial election, 2024

General election

The primary will occur on August 6, 2024. The general election will occur on November 5, 2024. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for Governor of Missouri

Larry Flenoid II is running in the general election for Governor of Missouri on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Larry Flenoid II (Independent)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Missouri

Sheryl Gladney, Mike Hamra, Hollis Laster, Eric Morrison, and Crystal Quade are running in the Democratic primary for Governor of Missouri on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate
		Sheryl Gladney
		Mike Hamra
		Hollis Laster
		Eric Morrison
		Crystal Quade

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Sarah Unsicker (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Missouri

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for Governor of Missouri on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate
		Jay Ashcroft
		Bill Eigel
		Darren Grant
		Jeremy Gundel
		Mike Kehoe
		Darrell Leon McClanahan III
		Robert Olson
		Amber Thomsen
		Chris Wright

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Governor of Missouri

Bill Slantz is running in the Libertarian primary for Governor of Missouri on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate
		Bill Slantz

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

See also: Missouri gubernatorial election, 2020

General election

General election for Governor of Missouri

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Missouri on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Parson (R)	57.1	1,720,202
		Nicole Galloway (D)	40.7	1,225,771
		Rik Combs (L)	1.6	49,067
		Jerome H. Bauer (G)	0.6	17,234
		Theodis Brown Sr. (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	5
		Arnie Dienoff (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	4
		Martin Lindstedt (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	4

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,012,287
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Missouri

Nicole Galloway defeated Eric Morrison, Jimmie Matthews, Antoin Johnson, and Robin Van Quaethem in the Democratic primary for Governor of Missouri on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nicole Galloway	84.6	455,203
		Eric Morrison	6.0	32,403
		Jimmie Matthews	3.8	20,586
		Antoin Johnson	3.8	20,254
		Robin Van Quaethem	1.8	9,481

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 537,927
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• La'Ondrill Brown (D)
• Edward Thurman (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Missouri

Incumbent Mike Parson defeated Saundra McDowell, James Neely, and Raleigh Ritter in the Republican primary for Governor of Missouri on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Parson	74.9	511,566
		Saundra McDowell	12.4	84,412
		James Neely	8.7	59,514
		Raleigh Ritter	4.0	27,264

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 682,756
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Green primary election

Green primary for Governor of Missouri

Jerome H. Bauer advanced from the Green primary for Governor of Missouri on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jerome H. Bauer	100.0	862

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 862
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Governor of Missouri

Rik Combs advanced from the Libertarian primary for Governor of Missouri on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rik Combs	100.0	4,171

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,171
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2016

See also: Missouri gubernatorial election, 2016

The general election for governor was held on November 8, 2016.

Eric Greitens defeated Chris Koster, Cisse Spragins, Lester Turilli, and Don Fitz in the Missouri governor election.

Missouri Governor, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Eric Greitens	51.29%	1,424,730
	Democratic	Chris Koster	45.40%	1,261,110
	Libertarian	Cisse Spragins	1.47%	40,718
	Independent	Lester Turilli Jr.	1.07%	29,774
	Green	Don Fitz	0.75%	20,785
		Write-in votes	0.03%	737
Total Votes				2,777,854
Source: Missouri Secretary of State

2012

• 2012 General Election for Governor of Missouri

On November 6, 2012, incumbent Jay Nixon defeated Dave Spence (R) and Jim Higgins (L) to win a second term as governor.

Governor of Missouri General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jay Nixon Incumbent	54.8%	1,494,056
	Republican	Dave Spence	42.5%	1,160,265
	Libertarian	Jim Higgins	2.7%	73,509
Total Votes				2,727,830
Election results via Missouri Secretary of State

Term limits

See also: States with gubernatorial term limits

Missouri governors are restricted to two terms in office during their lifetime.

Missouri Constitution, Article IV, Section 17

No person shall be elected governor...more than twice, and no person who has held the office of governor..., or acted as governor..., for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected to the office of governor or treasurer shall be elected to the office of governor...more than once.

Partisan composition

The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of Missouri governors from 1992 to 2013.

Vacancies

See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

Details of vacancies are addressed under Article IV, Sections 11(a), (b), and (c).

Should a Governor-elect die before taking office, the Lieutenant Governor-elect shall be sworn in as the Governor. At any time that the sitting governor dies, resign, or is convicted or impeached, the Lieutenant Governor shall take over the office. Similarly, in the case of a temporary or permanent disability, the Lieutenant Governor is first in the line of succession.

Regardless of the reason for the vacancy, the line of succession after the Lieutenant Governor is the same:

• the President Pro Tem of the Senate

• the Speaker of the House of Representatives

• the Secretary of State

• the State Auditor

• the State Treasurer

• the Attorney General

Whoever serves as Acting Governor shall have the full powers and emoluments of the office.

The Governor may state his or her temporary disability in writing to the Senate President Pro Tem and the Speaker of the House, at which point the governorship shall be vacant until the Governor indicates in writing to the same two officers that he or she is ready to resume the office.

A disability board made up of the same individuals in the line of succession as well as the Majority Floor Leaders in each chamber may convene to challenge a governor's declaration that is fit to resume office or initiate a hearing into the governor's fitness for office. If that board chooses to recommend the governor not discharge the office, they will deliver that decision to the President Pro Tem and the Speaker, who will, in turn, inform the Missouri Supreme Court.

The Court then convenes and has 21 days to reach a decision.

Any state officer who serves as Acting Governor is not considered to have vacated the office; that officer's chief administrative staffer shall discharge the office until the elected officer returns.

Duties

Missouri's governor is commander-in-chief of the state military forces in the state of Missouri. (§ 6) The governor appoints department heads and members of boards and commissions, including issuing, signing, and sealing the commission. (§ 5)

Additionally, the governor has the power to grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons, after conviction, for all offenses except treason and cases of impeachment. (§ 7) Specifically, the governor's pardon power does not include a power to parole.

Excepting bills to convene or adjourn and proposed Constitutional Amendments, all bills requiring the concurrence of both chambers must be presented to the Governor. (§ 8) In extraordinary circumstances, he or she may convene special sessions of the legislature. (§ 9)

At the start of each regular legislative session, at the end of the governor's term, and at other times he or she deems prudent, the governor shall address the legislature on the state of the state and make recommendations. (§ 9)

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

• Making all appointments not otherwise provided for by law (§ 4)

• Submitting a budget to the legislature within 30 days of the start of each session (§ 24)

• Exercising a line-item veto on appropriations bills (§ 26) and reducing state expenditures in line with revenue (§ 27)

Divisions

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Governor of Missouri has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

State budget

Role in state budget

See also: Missouri state budget and finances

The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in July of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year.
2. State agencies submit their budget requests to the governor by October 1.
3. Agency hearings are held from January through April. Public hearings are held in January and February.
4. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature no later than 30 days after the legislature convenes.
5. The legislature is required to adopt a budget by the first Friday after the first Monday in May. A simple majority is required to pass a budget. The fiscal year begins July 1.

Missouri is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.

The governor is legally required to submit a balanced budget. The legislature is not required to pass a balanced budget, but the governor is required to sign one.

Governor's office budget

The Governor's budget for 2023 was $7,384,306.

Compensation

See also: Comparison of gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers

Under Section 21 of the Missouri Constitution, the governor's salary is fixed by law and, if changed, does not take effect during the current term. Former office holders are constitutionally barred from making claims.

Section 3, Article XIII of the Missouri Constitution created a Citizens’ Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials, which sets the compensation of elected government officials. The 21-member commission meets every two years, and is not to be comprised of employees of the state or any of its institutions nor immediate family members of any person ineligible to serve on the council.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $137,167, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the governor received a salary of $133,821, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the governor received a salary of $133,821, according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the governor received a salary of $133,821, according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the governor received a salary of $133,821, according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the governor received a salary of $133,821, according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the governor received a salary of $133,821, according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the governor received a salary of $133,821, according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the governor earned a salary of $133,821, according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the governor's salary remained at $133,821.

2010

In 2010, the Governor of Missouri was paid $133,821 a year, the 26th highest gubernatorial salary in America at the time.

Historical officeholders

Since 1820, Missouri has had 57 governors. There have been 38 Democrats, 11 Republicans, 3 Jeffersonian Republicans, 2 Union, 2 Radical Republicans, and 1 Liberal Republican.

#	Name	Took office	Left office	Party
1	Alexander McNair	1820	1824	Jeffersonian Republican
2	Frederick Bates	1824	1825	Jeffersonian Republican
3	Abraham J. Williams	1825	1825	Jeffersonian Republican
4	John Miller	1825	1832	Democratic
5	Daniel Dunklin	1832	1836	Democratic
6	Lilburn W. Boggs	1836	1840	Democratic
7	Thomas Reynolds	1840	1844	Democratic
8	Meredith Miles Marmaduke	1844	1844	Democratic
9	John Cummins Edwards	1844	1848	Democratic
10	Austin Augustus King	1848	1853	Democratic
11	Sterling Price	1853	1857	Democratic
12	Trusten Polk	1857	1857	Democratic
13	Hancock Lee Jackson	1857	1857	Democratic
14	Robert Marcellus Stewart	1857	1861	Democratic
15	Claiborne Fox Jackson	1861	1861	Democratic
16	Hamilton Rowan Gamble	1861	1864	Union
17	Willard Preble Hall	1864	1865	Union
18	Thomas Clement Fletcher	1865	1869	Radical Republican
19	Joseph Washington McClurg	1869	1871	Radical Republican
20	Benjamin Gratz Brown	1871	1873	Liberal Republican
21	Silas Woodson	1873	1875	Democratic
22	Charles Henry Hardin	1875	1877	Democratic
23	John Smith Phelps	1877	1881	Democratic
24	Thomas Theodore Crittenden	1881	1885	Democratic
25	John Sappington Marmaduke	1885	1887	Democratic
26	Albert Pickett Morehouse	1887	1889	Democratic
27	David Rowland Francis	1889	1893	Democratic
28	William Joel Stone	1893	1897	Democratic
29	Lon Vest Stephens	1897	1901	Democratic
30	Alexander Monroe Dockery	1901	1905	Democratic
31	Joseph Wingate Folk	1905	1909	Democratic
32	Herbert Spencer Hadley	1909	1913	Republican
33	Elliott Woolfolk Major	1913	1917	Democratic
34	Frederick Dozier Gardner	1917	1921	Democratic
35	Arthur Mastick Hyde	1921	1925	Republican
36	Sam Aaron Baker	1925	1929	Republican
37	Henry Stewart Caulfield	1929	1933	Republican
38	Guy Brasfield Park	1933	1937	Democratic
39	Lloyd Crow Stark	1937	1941	Democratic
40	Forrest C. Donnell	1941	1945	Republican
41	Phil M. Donnelly	1945	1949	Democratic
42	Forrest Smith	1949	1953	Democratic
43	Phil M. Donnelly	1953	1957	Democratic
44	James T. Blair, Jr.	1957	1961	Democratic
45	John M. Dalton	1961	1965	Democratic
46	Warren E. Hearnes	1965	1973	Democratic
47	Christopher S. Bond	1973	1977	Republican
48	Joseph P. Teasdale	1977	1981	Democratic
49	Christopher S. Bond	1981	1985	Republican
50	John Ashcroft	1985	1993	Republican
51	Mel Carnahan	1993	2000	Democratic
52	Roger Wilson	2000	2001	Democratic
53	Bob Holden	2001	2005	Democratic
54	Matt Blunt	2005	2009	Republican
55	Jay Nixon	2009	2017	Democratic
56	Eric Greitens	2017	2018	Republican
57	Michael L. Parson	2018	current	Republican

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Missouri

Partisan breakdown of the Missouri governorship from 1992-2013

From 1992-2013, in Missouri there were Democratic governors in office for 17 years, including the last five, while there were Republican governors in office for five years.

Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Missouri, the Missouri State Senate and the Missouri House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

SQLI and partisanship

Missouri was one of eight states to demonstrate a dramatic partisan shift in the 22 years studied. A dramatic shift was defined by a movement of 40 percent or more toward one party over the course of the study period.

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Missouri state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Missouri had Democratic trifectas from 1993-2000 and Republican trifectas from 2005-2008. Of the 22 years studied, Missouri never finished in the top-10 or bottom-10. It received its highest ranking of 13th overall in 2000, the most recent year of a Democratic trifecta. Its lowest ranking of 23rd overall occurred in 1993 and 2008, both years of which had government trifectas. In 1993 it was a Democratic trifecta, and in 2008 it was a Republican trifecta.

• SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 18.75
• SQLI average with Republican trifecta: 20.00
• SQLI average with divided government: 18.33

Chart displaying the partisanship of Missouri government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

State profile

Redistricting

New state supreme court district maps were signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) on June 4, 2021. The Illinois Supreme Court lifted a pause order on this map on Jan. 1, 2022, resulting in its full implementation. This was the first time the state updated its judicial districts map since they were first enacted in 1964.

An image of the enacted state Supreme Court district map is below.

Illinois State Supreme Court (effective date January 1, 2022)

Demographic data for Missouri
	Missouri	U.S.
Total population:	6,076,204	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	68,742	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	82.6%	73.6%
Black/African American:	11.5%	12.6%
Asian:	1.8%	5.1%
Native American:	0.4%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.4%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	3.9%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	88.4%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	27.1%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$48,173	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	18.2%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Missouri. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Missouri

Missouri voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

More Missouri coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Missouri
• United States congressional delegations from Missouri
• Public policy in Missouri
• Influencers in Missouri
• Missouri fact checks
• More...

Contact information

Office of the Governor, Missouri
P.O. Box 720
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Phone: (573) 751-3222
Fax: (573) 751-1495

See also

• Missouri state executive offices
• Missouri state executive officials

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Office of the Governor of Missouri