Missouri’s powerful Senate President Pro Tem is seeking the GOP nomination for secretary of state next year.
State Sen. Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) made his announcement Saturday with a large sign at Mizzou’s 112th Homecoming parade downtown. Senator Rowden tweeted Saturday that he wanted his hometown Mizzou faithful to be the first to know about his future plans. He says he and his wife Aubrey and their three children are ready to embark on what he describes as an ”exciting new political journey.”
Rowden was elected to the Missouri House in 2012 and served two terms, before beating then-State Rep. Stephen Webber (D-Columbia) in 2016 to win the Missouri Senate seat. Rowden won another close race in his 2020 re-election race, defeating former State Rep. Judy Baker (D-Columbia). Rowden will be forced out of the Senate by term limits at the end of 2024.
Senator Rowden is expected to face State Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg), State Rep. Adam Schwadron (R-St. Charles) and Greene County clerk and former House Speaker Pro Tem Shane Schoeller (R-Willard) in the August 2024 GOP primary. The primary winner will face the winner of the Missouri Democratic primary in November 2024.
Missouri’s current secretary of state, Jay Ashcroft, is running for governor.
Our Zimmer colleague, Cosmo from Y-107, reports a woman dressed as a witch rode a bicycle and demonstrated against Senator Rowden throughout Saturday’s parade route. She also handed out literature to the crowd.
