State Sen. Denny Hoskins emerged from an eight-way primary Tuesday to capture the Republican nomination for Missouri Secretary of State. 

He was declared the winner by the Associated Press at 10:15 p.m., holding 24% of the vote. 

Hoskins served in the Army National Guard before becoming a certified public accountant. He has represented Warrensburg in the state House and Senate, leaving the legislature after this year because of term limits.

His statehouse career is defined in recent years by his membership in the Senate Freedom Caucus, where Hoskins and his cohorts clashed with the chamber’s GOP leadership — creating years of gridlock in a battle over the party’s priorities. 

Those rumbles with Republican leaders are also a key part of Hoskins’ campaign message, which he insists is proof he’s a fighter who will stand up for the values of his party.

“I am running because I believe Missouri needs secure elections; we have to ensure that none of the electoral fraud that took place in 2020 and stole the election from President Trump happens here,” Hoskins said after his victory. “I will work hard to eliminate electoral fraud and advocate for a return to secure elections using in-person voting and no machines that can be hacked or sabotaged.”

If elected in November, Hoskins says he’d push for the hand counting of ballots, eliminating absentee voting except for the military and disabled and making Election Day a holiday to make it easier for Missourians to vote.

This story will be updated.