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2008 Missouri Attorney General election
[edit]For related races, see 2008 Missouri elections.
The 2008 Missouri Attorney General election was held on November 4, 2008. Democratic incumbent Jay Nixon was term-limited. Democratic candidate Chris Koster defeated Republican candidate Mike Gibbons 52.9% to 47.1%.
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 County results Koster: 50–60% 60–70% 80–90% Gibbons: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Background
[edit]On August 1, 2007, Koster announced that he was leaving the Missouri Republican Party to join the Democratic party. Citing his frustration with the Republican Party's increasing intolerance on issues like stem cell research, workers' rights, cultural inclusion, and the non-partisan court plan, Koster said that the Missouri Republican Party had become too beholden to the extreme right-wing of the party.[1][2][3] He said, "Today, Republican moderates are all but extinct."[4]
In 2008, Koster defeated State Representative Margaret Donnelly and Jeff Harris in the Democratic primary for the nomination for Missouri Attorney General. Despite joining the Missouri Democratic party only a year earlier, and primary rivals calling him an opportunist for switching parties, Koster received several Democratic-leaning endorsements from law enforcement, labor unions, Democratic interest groups and elected officials.[5][6][7] Koster won the nomination despite accusations from Donnelly and Harris that his campaign violated state law in raising money from multiple committees.
During the campaign, Koster's ex-wife Rebecca Bowman Nassikas donated $200,000 to Missourians for Honest Leadership, a political committee, which paid $187,500 to purchase air time and produce television ads in an effort to oppose Koster's candidacy for Missouri Attorney General.[8][9] He went on to defeat Republican State Senator Mike Gibbons in the general election, 52.83% to 47.17%.[10] He was sworn in as attorney general on January 12, 2009, succeeding Jay Nixon.[11][12]
Democratic Primary
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Koster | 118,934 | 34.3% | ||
| Democratic | Margaret Donnelly | 118,105 | 34.1% | ||
| Democratic | Jeff Harris | 86,550 | 25.0% | ||
| Democratic | Molly Williams | 23,140 | 6.7% | ||
| Turnout | 670,364 | ||||
| Swing | |||||
Republican Primary
[edit]Gibbons ran unnoposed[13]
- ^ Andrea Chalfin, KBIA, Koster Switches Parties Archived 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine, publicbroadcasting.net, August 1, 2007; accessed April 3, 2015.
- ^ "2 Aug 2007, Page B005 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ "6 Aug 2007, Page C001 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ Kelly Wiese for AP, "Likely Missouri attorney general candidate switches to Democratic Party" Archived 2012-02-18 at the Wayback Machine, medialab.semissourian.com, Southeast Missourian, August 2, 2007.
- ^ "20 Jul 2008, Page C002 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ "21 Aug 2008, Page B003 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ Press, SUMMER BALLENTINE, Associated. "Once a Republican, Koster seeks governorship as a Democrat". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
{{cite web}}: Check|author-link=value (help); External link in|author-link= - ^ Messenger, Tony Bizzarro World e-mail of the day: Koster's ex-wife is BACK! St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 22, 2016
- ^ Wagar, Kit Bad breakup: Ex-wife drops $200,000 to blast Mo. AG candidate McCarthyDC. September 22, 2016
- ^ Unofficial Election Returns Missouri Secretary of State
- ^ Mannies, Jo. "Koster sworn in first before several thousand -- crowd smaller than '05". STLtoday.com. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ "13 Jan 2009, Page 5 - The Springfield News-Leader at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ "All Races for the August 2008 Primary" (PDF). Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved 8/31/2023.
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