Jay Ashcroft | |
---|---|
40th Secretary of State of Missouri | |
Assumed office January 9, 2017 | |
Governor | Eric Greitens Mike Parson |
Preceded by | Jason Kander |
Personal details | |
Born | John Robert Ashcroft July 12,1973 Jefferson City,Missouri,U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Parent |
|
Education | Missouri University of Science and Technology (BS, MS) Saint Louis University School of Law (JD) |
John Robert "Jay" Ashcroft (born July 12, 1973) is an American attorney, engineer and politician serving as the 40th and current Secretary of State of Missouri since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he is the son of former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.
As Missouri Secretary of State, Ashcroft pushed for stricter voter identification laws, fought against ballot initiatives, supported an investigation into former Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, and restricted library services for minors.
Ashcroft was a candidate in the 2024 Missouri gubernatorial election, but came in third place in the primary against State Senator Bill Eigel, and Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe.
Ashcroft is the son of politician John Ashcroft. [1]
Ashcroft attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy, but did not graduate. [2] He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in engineering management from Missouri University of Science and Technology. He then worked as an engineer. [3] Ashcroft attended law school, earning his Juris Doctor [4] from Saint Louis University School of Law. After law school, he worked for a law firm's intellectual property division. He later worked for his father in the Ashcroft Law Firm, where he assisted businesses impacted by government regulations and counseled clients on patent prosecution, regulatory compliance, and election law. [5]
Ashcroft ran for the Missouri Senate in 2014, [6] losing to Democrat Jill Schupp. [1] He ran for Missouri Secretary of State in the 2016 election, defeating state senator Will Kraus in the Republican primary election [7] and former KMOV anchor Robin Smith in the general election. [8] In 2020, Ashcroft won re-election against Democrat Yinka Faleti.
Ashcroft opposes abortion. As Secretary of State, Ashcroft wrote ballot summaries for initiatives seeking to reverse the Missouri ban on abortions. Judge Beetum rewrote summaries for all six initiatives; in his view, Ashcroft's summaries did not fairly represent the purposes or effect and lacked reference to alternative reproductive care mentioned in the initiatives. [9] Ashcroft appealed the case to Supreme Court of Missouri; it was denied less than a week later. [10]
Ashcroft is a staunch supporter of stricter voter ID laws. Ashcroft's claims about voter fraud, as well as the need for photo ID laws to combat voter fraud, were a central aspect of his 2016 campaign for the office of Missouri Secretary of State. [11] He has asserted that voter fraud is common enough to have "changed elections." [12] [13] [14] Election fraud did change the outcome in a Kansas City election when an aunt and uncle voted illegally for a state representative who won by one vote. [15] The type of voter fraud that would be addressed through Ashcroft's preferred legislation, which critics say suppresses turnout, [16] is extremely rare. [17] [18] In defending a push for stricter photo-ID laws, Ashcroft cited one instance where a couple illegally voted, but omitted that the photo-ID laws that Ashcroft was advocating for would not have prevented the couple from voting. [18] According to the Kansas City Star, "there has never been a reported case of voter impersonation fraud in Missouri." [11] In June 2018, Ashcroft said that voter fraud was "an exponentially greater threat than hacking." [11]
On July 3, 2017, Ashcroft said that he would comply with a request by the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, a commission appointed by Trump to investigate supposed voter fraud, to a request for Missourians voting data. [19] At the time, Missouri was one of only three states to comply with the commission - which was required by Missouri law. [20] Officials of both parties in many states declined to turn over data to the commission, variously citing voter privacy and stating that the commission would legitimize Trump's claims of massive voter fraud. [19] [21] He said he would give out voters' names, addresses, birthdates, where they voted and when, also required by Missouri law. [20] [22]
Ashcroft has backed a number of Republican proposals to reduce the number of Missouri ballot initiative petitions and make it harder for ballot initiatives to win approval in elections. [23]
In March 2023, Ashcroft announced that he is withdrawing Missouri from Electronic Registration Information Center, a bipartisan system to update and improve the accuracy of voter rolls. [24] His office declined to share reports from the decision or cyber security reviews on elections with the state auditor, leading to a "fair" rating in an audit released in February 2024. [25]
In December 2018, Ashcroft, who as Secretary of State does not have the power to issue subpoenas, asked Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway, who can issue subpoenas, to cooperate in an investigation into then-Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley for using public resources in his successful 2018 campaign for the U.S. Senate. [26] In February 2019, Ashcroft ended his investigation into Hawley, declaring that there was no evidence that Hawley or the AG's office had violated election law. [27]
In 2023, following the failure of a bill related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment practices in Missouri Congress, Ashcroft utilized the powers of his office to set a rule requiring disclosure forms for utilization of ESG scores. The rule has been criticized as "anti-free market" by the Sierra Club, and the Chamber of Commerce described it as "vague" and "burdensome." The Missouri Secretary of State office's oversight over securities rules is unusual relative to other Secretary of State offices. [28]
Ashcroft's office hired campaign donors as independent counsel in a lawsuit challenging the rules. [29] By January 2024, costs paid to firm Graves Garrett had exceeded $167,000. [30] As attorney general Andrew Bailey declined requests to use the state Legal Expense Fund, the additional estimated costs of $1.2 million are contingent on approval from state congress. [31]
Ashcroft told the National Review that the bill is aimed to counter a Biden veto on federal ESG laws. [31] The coordinated targeting of ESG practices are led by conservative lawyer Leonard Leo. [32]
As Secretary of State in 2022, Ashcroft proposed restrictions on materials available to minors in public libraries. The proposal details procedures and processes each library would be required to implement in order to continue receiving state funding. More than 10,000 comments were submitted in the 30-day public comment period, and library industry leaders and associations voiced their opposition. [33] In response to backlash, Ashcroft described the state-wide rules as a move toward "local control" and said "I'm not the one making a big deal about this. It's the libraries." [34]
The implementation of Ashcroft's rule has been described as "mass confusion" for libraries as they attempt to comply with restrictions that could be interpreted broadly. [35]
After Missouri voters voted in favor of Medicaid expansion, Ashcroft applauded efforts by Republicans in the Missouri legislature to block funding for Medicaid expansion. [36]
Ashcroft has stated appreciation for veterans. In 2024, his response to a candidate forum question about supporting veterans and active military personnel was criticized for suggesting the removal of veterans' benefits. [37]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jill Schupp | 28,022 | 50.09% | +0.19 | |
Republican | John R. "Jay" Ashcroft | 26,196 | 46.82% | −3.28 | |
Libertarian | Jim Higgins | 1,727 | 3.09% | +3.09 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | John R. "Jay" Ashcroft | 401,361 | 61.33% | ||
Republican | Will Kraus | 226,473 | 34.60% | ||
Republican | Roi Chinn | 26,638 | 4.07% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | John R. "Jay" Ashcroft | 1,591,086 | 57.62% | +10.21 | |
Democratic | Robin Smith | 1,061,788 | 38.45% | −10.43 | |
Libertarian | Chris Morrill | 108,568 | 3.93% | +1.26 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | John R. "Jay" Ashcroft (incumbent) | 1,790,873 | 60.59% | +2.97% | |
Democratic | Yinka Faleti | 1,072,415 | 36.28% | −2.17% | |
Libertarian | Carl Herman Freese | 55,320 | 1.87% | −2.06% | |
Green | Paul Lehmann | 23,981 | 0.81% | N/A | |
Constitution | Paul Venable | 13,066 | 0.44% | N/A |
John David Ashcroft is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and former politician who served as the United States Attorney General in the George W. Bush administration from 2001 to 2005. He previously held various positions in Missouri politics; as Auditor of Missouri (1973–1975), Attorney General of Missouri (1976–1985), Governor of Missouri (1985–1993), and as a United States Senator representing Missouri (1995–2001). He later founded The Ashcroft Group, a Washington D.C. lobbying firm.
Melvin Eugene Carnahan was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 51st governor of Missouri from 1993 until his death in 2000. Carnahan was a Democrat and held various positions in government.
Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 55th governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he prevously served as the 40th Missouri Attorney General from 1993 to 2009 and as a Missouri state senator from 1987 to 1993.
Kris William Kobach is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the attorney general of Kansas since 2023. He previously served as the 31st secretary of state of Kansas from 2011 to 2019. A former chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, Kobach rose to national prominence over his support for anti-immigration advocacy, including involvement in the implementation of high-profile anti-illegal immigration ordinances in various American cities. Kobach is also known for his calls for stronger voter ID laws in the United States. He has made claims about the extent of election fraud in the United States that some studies have shown to be unsubstantiated.
Derek Larkin Schmidt is an American lawyer and politician who served as the Kansas Attorney General from 2011 to 2023. A Republican, Schmidt was first elected to office serving in the Kansas Senate, where he represented the 15th district from 2001 to 2011, and served as Agriculture Committee chairman and Senate majority leader. Schmidt became the state attorney general in 2011, after he defeated incumbent Democrat Stephen Six.
Eric Stephen Schmitt is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Missouri since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Schmitt served as the 43rd Missouri Attorney General from 2019 to 2023.
Jocelyn Benson is an American academic administrator, attorney, and politician serving as the 43rd Secretary of State of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is a former dean of Wayne State University Law School, a co-founder of the Military Spouses of Michigan, and a board member of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality. Benson is the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process.
Frank LaRose is an American politician who has served as the 51st Secretary of State of Ohio since January 2019. He was a Republican member of the Ohio State Senate for two terms, from January 2011 to January 2019. He was a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in the 2024 election, challenging incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown. He lost to Bernie Moreno in the primary.
Voter suppression in the United States consists of various legal and illegal efforts to prevent eligible citizens from exercising their right to vote. Such voter suppression efforts vary by state, local government, precinct, and election. Voter suppression has historically been used for racial, economic, gender, age and disability discrimination. After the American Civil War, all African-American men were granted voting rights, but poll taxes or language tests were used to limit and suppress the ability to register or cast a ballot. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 improved voting access. Since the beginning of voter suppression efforts, proponents of these laws have cited concerns over electoral integrity as a justification for various restrictions and requirements, while opponents argue that these constitute bad faith given the lack of voter fraud evidence in the United States.
Joshua David Hawley is an American politician and lawyer serving as the senior United States senator from Missouri, a seat he has held since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Hawley served as the 42nd attorney general of Missouri from 2017 to 2019, before defeating two-term incumbent Democratic senator Claire McCaskill in the 2018 election.
Electoral fraud in the United States is considered by most experts to be a rare occurrence. A small number of elections in United States history have been invalidated due to electoral fraud, mostly at the local level.
The 2018 United States Senate election in Missouri took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Missouri, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections, including Missouri's quadrennial State Auditor election.
The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, also called the Voter Fraud Commission, was a Presidential Commission established by Donald Trump that ran from May 11, 2017, to January 3, 2018. The Trump administration said the commission would review claims of voter fraud, improper registration, and voter suppression. The establishment of the commission followed Trump's false claim that millions of illegal immigrants had voted in the 2016 presidential election, costing him the popular vote. Vice President Mike Pence was chosen as chair of the commission and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach was its vice chair and day-to-day administrator.
Ballot collecting, also known as "ballot harvesting" or "ballot chasing", is the gathering and submitting of completed absentee or mail-in voter ballots by third-party individuals, volunteers or workers, rather than submission by voters themselves directly to ballot collection sites. It occurs in some areas of the U.S. where voting by mail is common, but some other states have laws restricting it.
The 2024 United States Senate election in Missouri will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Missouri. Republican incumbent Josh Hawley is seeking a second term. He is being challenged by Democratic attorney Lucas Kunce. Primary elections took place on August 6, 2024.
The 2020 United States presidential election in Missouri was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Missouri voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, incumbent President Donald Trump of Florida, and running mate Vice President Mike Pence of Indiana against Democratic Party nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden of Delaware, and his running mate Senator Kamala Harris of California. Missouri has 10 electoral votes in the Electoral College.
The 2022 United States Senate election in Missouri was held on November 8, 2022, concurrently with elections for all other Class 3 U.S. senators and elections for the U.S. House of Representatives, to select a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Missouri. Incumbent senator Roy Blunt, a Republican, did not seek a third term in office. Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the open seat, defeating Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine.
Members of the United States Republican Party have reacted differently to Republican president Donald Trump's false claims about the 2020 United States presidential election, with many publicly supporting them, many remaining silent, and a few publicly denouncing them. Trump falsely claimed to have won the election, and made many false and unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. By December 11, 2020, 126 out of 196 Republican members of the House backed a lawsuit filed in the United States Supreme Court supported by nineteen Republican state attorneys general seeking to subvert the election and overturn the election results. The Trump campaign hired the Berkeley Research Group to investigate whether there had been voter fraud. The researchers found nothing, and the consultancy reported this to Trump and his chief of staff Mark Meadows on a conference call in the final days of the year, before the attack on the Capitol.
Following the 2020 United States presidential election and the unsuccessful attempts by Donald Trump and various other Republican officials to overturn it, Republican lawmakers initiated a sweeping effort to make voting laws more restrictive within several states across the country. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, as of October 4, 2021, more than 425 bills that would restrict voting access have been introduced in 49 states—with 33 of these bills enacted across 19 states so far. The bills are largely centered around limiting mail-in voting, strengthening voter ID laws, shortening early voting, eliminating automatic and same-day voter registration, curbing the use of ballot drop boxes, and allowing for increased purging of voter rolls. Republicans in at least eight states have also introduced bills that would give lawmakers greater power over election administration after they were unsuccessful in their attempts to overturn election results in swing states won by Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 election. The efforts garnered press attention and public outrage from Democrats, and by 2023 Republicans had adopted a more "under the radar" approach to achieve their goals.
The 2024 Missouri gubernatorial election will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect the governor of Missouri, concurrently with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Mike Parson is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a second full term in office due to having served more than two years of predecessor Eric Greitens' unexpired term following his resignation in June 2018. Primary elections took place on August 6, 2024. Mike Kehoe, the incumbent lieutenant governor, won the Republican nomination.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)