St. Louis, MO – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has won the race for Missouri's governor, according to the Associated Press.
With 54.2% of precincts reporting, AP called the race for Parson with 58% of the vote compared to challenger Nicole Galloway with 39.97%. See the live results here.
Parson, the incumbent, and Galloway were both competing in their first campaigns for governor.
Parson was elected lieutenant governor in 2016 and moved to the role of governor after Eric Greitens resigned facing possible impeachment amid multiple scandals.
Throughout the campaign, they had competing visions on aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of policing in Missouri. Galloway, Missouri's auditor, called for a statewide face mask mandate and Parson left that up to local communities to decide for themselves.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Missouri continued to climb in recent weeks as the state confirmed more than 2,000 new cases on Tuesday. However, hospitalizations dropped slightly after setting record highs on the previous two days.
Galloway has been criticized for the support she has received from racial justice activists who have called for defunding the police. She has said she doesn’t support defunding the police but does favor providing more money for things such as education and mental health services that would address what she calls systemic problems.
The position of Missouri governor is a four-year term.