Jefferson City – Nicole Galloway, a champion for Missouri’s working families and the only Democratic statewide office holder, announced she won’t be running for any office in 2022, opening the door for a Republican sweep of the state and setting the stage for a wide-open statewide contest.
Galloway, 38, who was appointed to the post in 2015 and won a full, four-year term in 2018, announced in a statement on Twitter and Facebook June 4 she will not seek another term as auditor or any other office in order to spend more time with her family.
“Serving Missourians has been the honor of my life. I’ve been humbled by your support and tireless hard work, and I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity it has given me as a public servant,” Galloway said. “I am ready for the next chapter of service and life with my family.”
Backed by Labor unions, Galloway made an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2020, losing to Gov. Mike Parson by nearly 17 percentage points in a state that has grown increasingly divided between urban Democrats and rural Republicans.
The GOP currently holds supermajorities in both chambers of the Missouri Legislature, as well as the state’s two U.S. Senate seats, the governor’s office and all other statewide offices, except for the auditor.
As auditor, Galloway has served a fierce watchdog for Missouri taxpayers, often generating political controversy.
In February 2020, an audit of U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley’s short tenure as Missouri’s attorney general outlined how taxpayer-paid staff working in his office met with his political consultants repeatedly in the months before he launched his Senate campaign in 2017.
Galloway’s office found evidence of 11 in-person and phone meetings between Hawley’s staff and his political consultants from January to July 2017. Over that same period, Hawley’s campaign paid a combined $141,000 to the political advisers OnMessage Inc., First Tuesday and HLC Strategic LLC.
The audit also found employees did not follow office policy when they used personal email accounts, calendars and phones “to conduct official business, communicate, and schedule meetings,” and that Hawley used a state vehicle and driver for personal trips.
A follow-up audit in August 2020, found paperwork and management problems that may have cost taxpayers additional money.
In 2019, an audit uncovered questionable spending during Parson’s time as lieutenant governor, including getting reimbursed with taxpayer dollars to use his personal vehicle to attend entertainment events that did not appear necessary to office operations or a reasonable use of state funds.
“In my remaining time as the state’s watchdog, I will continue to diligently root out waste and take on corruption,” Galloway said in her announcement. “I will always be a relentless advocate for Missouri and the working men and women who move it forward.”
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