David Bandré filed to run for judge of the Cole County Circuit Court, Division II, hoping to bring his experience as a trial attorney to the judge's seat.
Bandré and incumbent Judge Dan Green are running as Republicans.
Bandré has practiced law in Jefferson City for 25 years, the last 18 with Bandré Hunt & Snider LLC.
"My experience as a trial attorney in Central Missouri makes me uniquely qualified to serve the people of Cole County," Bandré said in a Monday campaign announcement. "When a person is in court, their case is the most important thing they have going in their life at that moment, and they deserve to have the court experience reflect that."
Bandré said he has practiced in more than 55 Missouri counties and has tried cases before the Missouri Courts of Appeal for the Western, Eastern and Southern districts. He also has appeared before the Missouri Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Bandré has served as a licensed mediator and a hearing officer, and has tried "literally thousands of cases to verdict," he said.
Bandré also represents several communities in Central Missouri, including the Cole County cities of Wardsville, Taos, Lohman and St. Thomas. He has been awarded the Lon O. Hocker award as the state's outstanding young trial attorney and previously served as president of the Cole County Bar Association.
"It is a difficult decision to run against an incumbent judge, but I believe that the time is right for the Cole County Courthouse to have some new ideas and attitudes," Bandré said in his news release. "I've not made a career out of politics, but this race and the integrity of the court system are incredibly important to me."
Other Cole County offices up for election in 2020 include Eastern and Western District commissioners, sheriff, public administrator and treasurer.
There will also be elections for another circuit judge seat, as well as the newly created second associate circuit judge position.
Filing for countywide offices in 2020 ends March 31. Filing takes place in the Cole County Clerk's Office, located on the second floor of the Courthouse Annex, 311 E. High St. in Jefferson City. Filing for the circuit judge's positions is held at the Secretary of State's Office, 600 W. Main St.
The primary election will be Aug. 4, and the general election will be Nov. 3.