Will Scharf, a 36-year-old Clayton attorney and former Gov. Eric Greitens policy director, appears poised to run for state attorney general in 2024.
“Will is smart, well-spoken, and he has the ability to raise a lot of money,” said Jean Evans, former executive director of the Missouri Republican Party. “I've known Will Sharf since he worked on the Catherine Hanaway primary campaign in 2015.”
Hanaway ran Missouri governor but lost to Greitens in the 2016 Republican primary. Greitens was replaced by Gov. Mike Parson in 2018 during a widely reported sexual misconduct investigation.
“There are a lot of former people who worked in the Greitens administration who have moved on to do other things, including work in Governor Parson's administration,” Evans said.
Scharf stepped down earlier this month as an assistant U.S. attorney in St. Louis and filed documents for a statewide campaign however he did not specify which office he is seeking election to.
“He’s got a pretty high profile amongst the political folks as being a very sharp, bright mind and people like that who worked for Greitens have gone on to do great things elsewhere,” Evans added. “It hasn't kept them from succeeding, and I don't think it will with him either.”
The St. Louis Dispatch reported that Scharf will likely seek election as Missouri’s attorney general.
“This is not something he probably just came up with in five minutes,” Evans told the St. Louis Record. “He's got a plan and he is executing it, which is always a sign that somebody has it together and has a good shot.”
When outgoing Attorney General Eric Schmitt was elected to replace Roy Blunt as U.S. Senator on Nov. 8, Parson appointed Andrew Bailey to replace him. Bailey previously served as Parson’s general counsel.
“My entire career has been defined by public service, and now I’m ready to continue that service as your Attorney General, where I will work tirelessly to earn your trust and never stop fighting on your behalf,” Bailey said in a statement online.
However, Scharf is a formidable foe if Bailey decides to campaign for election in 2024, according to Evans.
“That election is a long way away and I don't know who Scharf would be running against but don't count him out,” she said. “He has to be taken seriously by anybody who's running a statewide campaign because this guy is very smart and very adept at politics.”