JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Tim Jones has likely presided over his last House session, barring Gov. Jay Nixon calling a special session between now and January. His time on the dais is over, begging the question, what’s next for Tim Jones?
Jones indicated early on during his time as Speaker that he was eying a run for Attorney General. The St. Louis County-based attorney has ample experience and, as a formidable fundraiser, is sitting on a million-dollar war chest.
“He’s probably got the 4th largest cash-on-hand of any elected official right now,” James Harris of the J. Harris Company. “With the exception of Lieutenant Governor Kinder, I don’t think anyone had the kind of money he has at the beginning of the cycle in 2012.”
Last year, whispers were abound that Jones was looking to succeed Sen. Brian Nieves in the upper chamber as a means to remain in the legislature until 2016, but soon Jones backed away from a senate run.
So what’s next? Jones hasn’t ruled out an AG or Secretary of State run, and there are even calls from a few within his inner circle to run for governor in 2016, although that may be the most challenging path against a well-funded opponent like Auditor Tom Schweich. Jones has garnered plenty of heat from the left during his time as speaker and his track record makes him a very attractive candidate for a Republican primary.
“My friends on the left hang out in latte-land and they don’t believe that the state is trending to the right, but it clearly is,” Harris said. “Any office Tim Jones wants to run for, he’s going to be an extremely formidable candidate, and we’ve seen in Missouri’s past that when given the choice between a conservative candidate and someone on the far left, Missouri voters choose the conservative candidate.”
As Speaker of the House Jones oversaw the first significant income tax cut in Missouri in decades, championed Right-to-Work legislation, protected targeted tax cuts for low income and historic preservation projects from members looking to increase spending, waved second amendment legislation through the chamber, made waves pushing judicial reform, and helped put one of the country’s most restrictive abortion laws on the governor’s desk, as well as helping lead the charge to overturn Nixon’s veto of the bill.
Jones is far from unknown for Missourians. His regular “Speaker’s Tours” crisscrossed the state and his constant, unceasing criticism of the governor ultimately ended in Nixon characterizing him as “cranky.” Jones has remained abnormally active with conservative grassroots organizations, and has won the loyalty of plenty of active Republican voters.
The “cranky” Jones led the charge against Nixon’s Department of Revenue during its document scanning scandal and rarely misses an opportunity to chide Nixon’s constant use of a taxpayer-funded plane.
“Tim Jones tells people things they need to hear,” said Rep. Ron Hicks, a fellow Republican and ally of Jones’. “He can handle a hostile crowd, which is not an easy thing to do. He’s a clear communicator and I’ve seen him go into a room with people who didn’t agree with him and walk out having won those people over. Heck, he and I disagree sometimes, but he’s clear and he says exactly what he’s going to do, and he can win people over.”
Jones made waves with the press early in his tenure when he proposed putting office space in the House press gallery, earning stern rebukes on editorial pages across the state before Jones relented. A frequent victim of the ire of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial board, Jones’ conservative credentials were ballooned when his name surfaced on a petition challenging President Obama’s birth certificate.
If AG appeals to him, Jones will likely prove a ferocious primary opponent for Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, who has clarified his intentions to seek the post. Both men are flush with cash and have spent the better part of the last few years padding their Republican resumes.
But the Attorney General’s office is not the only place Jones could choose to hang his hat. Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder has held the position longer than anyone else, and has not yet declared his 2016 intentions. And with Sen. Eric Schmitt seeking the post of treasurer, Jones looks more and more likely as a candidate for Secretary of State in 2016. Jones long record and red meat conservative reputation would likely give SOS Jason Kander a significant challenge.
While Jones’ record is a virtual laundry list of sins and missteps for his counterparts on the left, Republican statewide voters would likely embrace Jones — who also firmly stood against expanding Medicaid in Missouri, perhaps the most hot button topic in the last two years. A proponent of education reform with enough farming in his background to appeal to rural voters, Jones is likely far from finished with Missouri politics.
“On so many issues for Republicans, he’s been one of the most consistent people in the state outside of our congressional delegation,” Harris said. “I believe he can win any primary he gets into, and then obviously that’s the battle, and the war is the general election.”
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
