By Eli Yokley
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Attorney General Chris Koster told reporters Tuesday that he is preparing a potential gubernatorial campaign for 2016.
“We are making the necessary preparations and building consensus around the state toward that end,” Koster, a Democrat, said after delivering remarks to disability rights advocates.
The statement comes less than a week after state Treasurer Clint Zweifel, who was rumored to be a potential primary opponent, informed Koster that he would not pursue a campaign. Zweifel’s campaign told The Missouri Times on Friday that he would not run in order to spend more time with his family and young daughters.
Koster has already started to raise funds — nearly $100,000 in the first quarter of this year alone – just months after he wrapped up his successful reelection campaign.
Koster, who switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party ahead of his 2008 campaign for attorney general, would be a similar candidate to the office’s current occupant, Gov. Jay Nixon, who won reelection on the premise that he was a Missouri moderate willing to work together with the Republican controlled General Assembly.
