JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick held a commanding lead Tuesday in the Republican nomination in the race to succeed Democrat Nicole Galloway as Missouri Auditor.
Unofficial returns show Fitzpatrick, 34, hovering at about 63% of the vote with a third of the precincts counted in his bid against Rep. David Gregory, a Sunset Hills Republican.
鈥淥bviously, things look good right now, but there are still a lot of votes to be counted,鈥 said Fitzpatrick, who was watching election results in Kansas City.
If the trend continues, he will face former Democratic state Rep. Alan Green of Florissant and Libertarian John A. Hartwig Jr. of St. Charles in the November general election. Neither had opponents on Tuesday.
Despite the auditor鈥檚 post being viewed as a potential springboard to higher office, the race was overshadowed throughout the election cycle by the high-stakes competition to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt.
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Galloway has been in office since 2015 but opted not to seek a second full term after losing a bid for governor in 2018.
The auditor鈥檚 office conducts formal checks for financial improprieties by state agencies, boards, commissions, statewide elected officials, the Legislature and local government and taxing entities.
Fitzpatrick, 34, of Cassville, was appointed treasurer in 2018 and won a full, four-year term in 2020. He is a former member of the House and served as the top budget writer in the Legislature鈥檚 lower chamber during his tenure there.
As a high school student, Fitzpatrick founded a company in Shell Knob in southwest Missouri that builds and repairs marinas and docks.
On the campaign trail, Fitzpatrick said one of his main priorities would be to boost oversight of how federal pandemic relief money has been spent. He also plans to increase scrutiny of school district finances and curriculum.
Gregory, 37, from south St. Louis County, is an attorney who won election to the House in 2016.
He represents a swath of South County communities including parts of Valley Park, Mehlville and Fenton. He served as chairman of the special committee on government accountability and is a member of the House budget panel.
Gregory said he had hoped to win the race in order to investigate school curriculum issues like critical race theory, as well as illegal immigration.