JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Friday at 5 p.m., Missouri will have a new governor when Eric Greitens resigns his post after months of investigations.
Taking up the post will be the current Lieutenant Governor Mike Parson. Parson defeated Russ Carnahan in the 2016 election after years of service in the state house.
He released the following statement Tuesday:
“With Governor Greitens’ decision to resign from office, he has put the best interests of our state and all Missourians at the forefront where they belong. This is a decision that will allow our state to heal and move forward from what has been a difficult time. This is an enormous responsibility serving as our state’s next governor, and I am ready to fulfill the duties of the office with honor and integrity, and with a steadfast commitment to making our great state even greater for the people we are entrusted to serve.”
Parson, a Republican and Army veteran, entered public service in 1993, when he served as the Sheriff of Polk County. He continued in that role until 2005, when he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives for House District 133 which is made up of southwest Springfield and the City of Battlefield.
In 2011, he moved from the House to the Senate when he won the race for Missouri State Senate District 28, which is comprised of Benton, Cedar, Dallas, Hickory, Laclede, Pettis, Polk and St. Clair counties.
As a senator, he championed legislation like the Castle Doctrine, which strengthened 2nd Amendment rights, and Missouri Farming Rights Amendment which guaranteed Missourians the right to farm on their land.
"He's tried and tested," Republican Rep. Bryan Spencer said to the Associated Press of Parson on Tuesday. "He has a lot of friends in (Jefferson City), and I think that will be beneficial for him to get things done."
Parson also garnered headlines for seeking an increase in his office's budget to hire a personal driver. The state also added $54,000 to its budget to remodel the lieutenant governor's Capitol office for the first time in 12 years after Parson was elected.
He initially planned to run for the Republican nomination for governor in 2016, but he opted out of the crowded field and entered the race for lieutenant governor instead. He raised $2.9 million in contributions, including $200,000 from the Republican State Leadership Committee. He won by more than 10 percentage points over Democrat Russ Carnahan, the son of the late Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan.
Parson lives in Bolivar, Missouri, with his wife Theresa. They have two children and five grandchildren.
Other leaders have already said they look forward to working with Parson as the new governor.
Parson will take the helm on Friday and serve the rest of the term. The next election for Missouri governor will be in 2020.
As for who will take over as Lieutenant Governor, that is still unclear. In February, Missouri lawmakers tried to clarify the replacement process, but a vote was not held.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
