Nicole Galloway Wins Dem Primary for Missouri Governor

State Auditor Nicole Galloway has won the Democratic nomination for Missouri governor, setting up a November matchup against GOP Gov. Mike Parson, who won the Republican primary Tuesday night.

Galloway, 38, faced four other Democrats with little statewide name recognition. She was the only Democratic gubernatorial candidate currently in statewide office and the only candidate to have won a statewide campaign previously.

Galloway is trying to unseat Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who served as lieutenant governor until taking over in 2018 when former Republican Gov. Eric Greitens resigned in scandal.

She has criticized Parson's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying he has not doing enough to ensure the health and safety of the public.

Galloway previously served as Boone County treasurer. Former Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon appointed her to be state auditor after former Republican Auditor Tom Schweich killed himself in 2015.

She ran a successful campaign to serve a full term as auditor in 2018. Her time expires in 2023.

Voters across the state are deciding whether to expand Medicaid health care coverage to thousands of additional lower-income adults. Voters also are picking party nominees for governor, U.S. Congress, the state Legislature and other statewide and county offices.

In St. Louis, Democratic voters are choosing between incumbent Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and her challenger, former chief homicide prosecutor Mary Pat Carl. Gardner has gained national attention for charging a couple who displayed guns when protesters marched by their home in June, and for filing a criminal charge against former Gov. Eric Greitens in 2018. The charge was later dismissed but Greitens resigned months later.

The Democratic winner will be heavily favored in the November general election in heavily Democratic St. Louis.

Concerns about the coronavirus have prompted a larger-than-usual number of mailed-in ballots for the primary election in Missouri's largest county.

St. Louis County Elections Director Eric Fey said the county already had received a record 81,000 absentee ballots before election day, and more could still arrive in the mail Tuesday. Fey said in-person voting also appeared to be a little stronger than he had expected.

Election officials in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas had to call in substitute poll workers after some cancelled or failed to show up. Officials said concerns about Missouri's growing number of confirmed coronavirus cases likely played a roll.

Missouri voters are deciding whether to expand Medicaid health care coverage to thousands of additional lower-income adults. Voters also are picking party nominees for governor, U.S. Congress, the state Legislature and other statewide and county offices.