Dave Wasinger (photo submitted)

Dave Wasinger secured the Republican nomination for Missouri’s lieutenant governor on Tuesday, emerging out of a crowded primary where candidates spent millions seeking the office. 

With all precincts reporting, Wasinger led state Sen. Lincoln Hough of Springfield by just under 7,500 votes.

Wasinger is an attorney from St. Louis who has not previously held elected office. 

The lieutenant governor is next in line for governor, sits on various boards and breaks ties in the state Senate. In Missouri, unlike many other states, the lieutenant governor doesn’t run on a ticket with the governor. 

Wasinger is an attorney at a St. Louis law firm he owns and manages, and a certified public accountant.

Wasinger grew up in Hannibal and attended the University of Missouri and then Vanderbilt Law School, before moving to St. Louis. He has worked at the law firm for over 20 years, specializing in business litigation.

After the 2008 financial crisis, Wasinger “took on Wall Street banks,” he said, representing whistleblowers in financial fraud cases against Countrywide Home Loans and JP Morgan Chase. The whistleblowers were key witnesses in the federal government’s case against the banks, helping federal prosecutors recover billions of dollars. 

Wasinger said the position of lieutenant governor “serves as a great bully pulpit to expose this corruption and these insider deals taking place in Jefferson City.”

Wasinger and state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder received a last minute dual endorsement from former President Donald Trump, on Monday evening. Trump called Rehder and Wasinger “two highly respected America First patriots.” 

Wasinger was the main funder of his own campaign, loaning himself $2.6 million, as of July 31 campaign finance filings.

Hough raised the most money in the race. Hough’s campaign had raised $642,000 since the start of 2023 and $2.5 million through his joint fundraising committee, as of the latest campaign fundraising reports due July 31. Rehder had raised $555,000 through her campaign fund and another $369,000 through her joint fundraising committee. 

The other Republican candidates were businessman Paul Berry III and county clerk Tim Baker.