JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Democratic state Sen. Scott Sifton said Thursday that he's dropping out of next year's race for Missouri attorney general and instead will seek re-election to the Senate.
Sifton's departure leaves St. Louis County Assessor Jake Zimmerman as the only Democratic candidate in the race. Two Republicans also are running for the office.
"It has become clear that I can best serve the citizens of south St. Louis County and the State of Missouri by returning to the Senate," Sifton, of Affton, said in a statement. "I have spent my entire tenure in the Senate advocating ethics reform, and we clearly need it."
Sifton cited banning lobbyist gifts as one of his priorities for later work in the Senate.
The Missouri attorney general's office will be open next year because Democratic incumbent Chris Koster has said he plans to run for governor.
Sifton is a lawyer at the Husch Blackwell law firm and a former Affton School Board member who was elected to the Missouri House in 2010 and defeated GOP Sen. Jim Lembke in 2012. His seat in the Senate would have been open had he made a run for attorney general.
Koster and Missouri's U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, two of the state's top Democrats, emphasized what they said is a need for Sifton in the Senate.
"Scott has proven to be an invaluable member of the State Senate," McCaskill said in the statement he sent out. "He is a difference maker. We need his leadership in the Senate now more than ever."
Zimmerman said in a statement that Sifton "is needed now, more than ever, in the halls of our state capitol."
"I am especially eager to work with him on ethics reform," Zimmerman said. "In Jefferson City, too often the special interests seem to hold all the cards."
Zimmerman had nearly twice as much to spend on a campaign than Sifton as of June 30, with about $921,000 compared to Sifton's roughly $488,000.
Republican state Sen. Kurt Schaefer of Columbia appears likely to face-off with Republican attorney and University of Missouri School of Law associate professor Josh Hawley in a GOP primary for the seat.