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Former Cass County prosecutor announces run for attorney general

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Not even a day after state Sen. Scott Sifton, D-St. Louis, announced that he would remain in the state Senate, another Democrat has entered the race for attorney general.

Hensley
Hensley

Former Cass County prosecutor Teresa Hensley, D-Raymore, has thrown her hat into the ring. She served in that position for 10 years from 2004 to 2014 and secured 21 murder convictions in that role.

“As a former prosecutor, I saw the pain and the devastation families experience when they’re the victims of violent crime,” she said in a statement. “But I also saw the power of justice in action. I saw people begin to put their lives back together after justice was served in a court of law. That’s why I’m running. I have a unique understanding of the power and importance of the Office of the Attorney General.”

Hensley has lived in western Missouri for most of her life, and she continues to be active in Raymore government. She also has experience in state-wide elections. In 2012, Hensley ran against Vicki Hartzler for U.S. Senate District 4 from Missouri and lost. Two years later, Republican criminal defense attorney Ben Butler defeated the incumbent Hensley.

As soon as Hensley announced, Sifton, the former lead Democratic candidate, endorsed her.

“Hensley has the prosecutor experience we need in our next Attorney General,” he said. “Her experience as a prosecutor far exceeds that of the other candidates in the field.”

St. Louis County Assessor Jake Zimmerman, D-St. Louis, is also running for the position. On the Republican side, state Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, and University of Missouri professor Josh Hawley will do battle in another primary.

This story is developing. Additional details may be added later.