JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A St. Louis attorney and former University of Missouri curator on Tuesday announced he's running as a Republican for Missouri auditor.
Certified public accountant David Wasinger's announcement comes days after Republican House Speaker Todd Richardson, previously the most prominent GOP candidate who had publicly stated interest in the race, said he won't run for Democratic Auditor Nicole Galloway's seat in 2018.
"With trust in government at an all-time low, I think it's important to have an auditor focused on keeping government working for the people, and not the other way around," said Wasinger, who on Monday donated $500,000 to his own campaign.
The Missouri state auditor is responsible for reviewing the performance of state and local agencies, as well as how taxpayer money is spent.
Former Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Galloway to the auditor's office in 2015 after former Republican Auditor Tom Schweich killed himself. Following Republicans' success in Missouri's 2016 elections, Galloway now is the only statewide elected official in Jefferson City.
"With corruption getting swept under the rug in Republican-controlled Jefferson City, there's no way the eventual Republican nominee will even come close to matching State Auditor Nicole Galloway's toughness and independence as a watchdog for Missourians," Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Webber said in a Tuesday statement.
Jefferson County Chief Deputy Auditor Kristy Apprill also has opened a campaign committee to seek the statewide auditor's seat as a Republican.
Wasinger is an attorney at Wasinger Daming, LC in St. Louis. In his campaign announcement, he touted work representing a whistleblower in a lawsuit against Countrywide Home Loans, which was acquired by Bank of America Corp.
Former Republican Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Wasinger to the University of Missouri Board of Curators in 2005. While serving as a curator, Wasinger was among attorneys who aided an anti-affirmative action initiative that never made it to the Missouri ballot. Wasinger at the time told The Associated Press that he played a secondary role behind a colleague in that case and did not say whether he supported the effort, adding that a hired attorney's opinion is not relevant.