Saint Louis — Robin Smith, the longtime staple of the CBS affiliate KMOX/KMOV 4, announced over the weekend that she would be running for Secretary of State in Missouri as a Democrat.
“What Missouri needs now, more than ever, is a public servant who checks their politics at the door,” Smith said in a statement. “That has been my life’s work and my training. I look forward to giving Missourians straightforward, professional service as their Secretary of State.”
Smith’s broadcast career began in 1974, but will end with her candidacy for office, she announced. With a bachelor’s degree in communications and a Master’s degree in International Business, Smith is the first Democrat to enter the SOS race.
Current Secretary of State and Democrat Jason Kander narrowly defeated his Republican opponent in his last election. Kander is now running for the U.S. Senate and looking to unseat Sen. Roy Blunt, a tall order. His exit from the SOS office leaves it ripe for the picking. On the Republican side, state senator Will Kraus and St. Louis attorney and engineer, Jay Ashcroft, have been running for months.
Ashcroft responded to Smith’s entrance into the race.
“For 12 years, Missouri has had liberal Democrat Secretaries of State Robin Carnahan and Jason Kander who have used the office to advance their liberal agendas and deny the existence of voter fraud,” Ashcroft said in a statement. “In my travels around the state, Missourians are ready for a Secretary of State who is committed to combatting voter fraud and passing a common sense photo voter ID law. I welcome Robin Smith into the race and look forward to a clear contrast of our vision for the office.”
Smith, who is likely to have the support of the state Democratic party, announced that she would begin touring the state to meet voters, sometimes joined by her husband: former NBA player Isaac “Bud” Stallworth.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
