2012 Missouri Attorney General election
The 2012 Missouri Attorney General election was held on November 6, 2012, alongside the presidential and gubernatorial elections. The incumbent Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, a Democrat, won re-election for a second full term against Republican attorney Ed Martin. As of 2022, this is the last time a Democrat was elected Attorney General of Missouri.
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  Koster: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 80–90% Martin: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Background
Koster was originally elected as attorney general in 2008 as a Democrat after switching from the Republican Party. Koster won despite accusations that his campaign violated state law in raising money from multiple committees. He also survived the disclosure that he played a supporting role in a plagiarism episode that damaged Attorney General William L. Webster’s campaign for governor in 1992. Fresh out of law school, Koster worked for Webster, a Republican, as an assistant state attorney general.[1]
He defeated State Representative Margaret Donnelly in the Democratic primary for the nomination for Missouri Attorney General and won against Republican state senator Michael R. Gibbons in the general election, 53%-47%.[2] He was sworn in as attorney general on January 12, 2009, succeeding Jay Nixon, who had served since 1993.
Timeline
Republican primary
Declared
- Ed Martin, attorney[4]
- Adam Lee Warren, prosecuting attorney of Livingston County[5]
Declined
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Ed Martin |
Adam Warren |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling | August 4–5, 2012 | 590 | ± 4.0% | 46% | 17% | 37% |
Results
100% reporting (3,420 of 3,420 precincts)[7]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ed Martin | 373,434 | 71.6 | |
| Republican | Adam Lee Warren | 148,432 | 28.4 | |
| Total votes | 521,866 | 100.0 | ||
Martin, who served as chief of staff for Governor Matt Blunt from 2006 until November 2007, won the Republican primary in a landslide, 72%-28% and become the party's nominee.
Democratic primary
Declared
- Chris Koster, incumbent Attorney General since 2008
Koster was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size |
Margin of error |
Chris Koster (D) |
Ed Martin (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon | October 23–25, 2012 | 625 | ± 4% | 51% | 37% | — | 12% |
| Public Policy Polling | October 19–21, 2012 | 582 | ± 4.1% | 48% | 38% | — | 13% |
| Public Policy Polling | August 20, 2012 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 41% | 39% | — | 20% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Koster (incumbent) | 1,482,381 | 55.81% | +2.98 | |
| Republican | Ed Martin | 1,081,510 | 40.71% | -6.46 | |
| Libertarian | Dave Browning | 92,465 | 3.48% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 2,668,064 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
On election day, Koster defeated Martin by a wide margin of over 14 percentage points, an increase from his 5% margin of victory in 2008. This is despite Republican Mitt Romney defeating Democratic President Barack Obama in the concurrent presidential election in Missouri, although other incumbent state Democratic officials were re-elected as well. Governor Jay Nixon won re-election by more than 12 percentage points, Senator Claire McCaskill won re-election by over 15 percentage points, and Clint Zweifel won by 5 percentage points. Jason Kander was also elected Secretary of State by just over one percentage point.
See also
- 2012 United States presidential election in Missouri
- 2012 United States Senate election in Missouri
- 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Missouri
- 2012 Missouri gubernatorial election
- 2012 Missouri lieutenant gubernatorial election
- 2012 Missouri State Treasurer election
- 2012 Missouri Secretary of State election
References
- "Gibbons vs. Koster". archive.columbiatribune.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- Unofficial Election Returns Missouri Secretary of State
- from the Missouri Secretary of State
- Martin to run for Mo. Atty. General. Associated Press via Kirksville Daily Express. Published 2012-01-26.
- "Missouri Attorney General race gains another candidate". Associated Press via KBIA radio website. February 23, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
- "Rep. McNary to challenge Treasurer Zweifel". Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- "Election Night Reporting". MO Secretary of State. August 8, 2012. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2012.