ST. LOUIS — The field of candidates to be the next Lieutenant Governor of the state of Missouri grew by two Monday, at least in the eyes of the Missouri Ethics Commission. Republican State Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder and Democratic State Rep. Richard Brown, the Assistant Minority Floor Leader, changed their reports on file with the commission to reflect their candidacies.

Thompson Rehder, of Scott City, told Spectrum News recently that she’d given herself a timeline of mid-to-late July to decide on seeking the post or re-election to her Southeast Missouri State Senate post in 2024.

“My decision ends up being, 'where do I think I can make the biggest difference for Missourians?' and for me, as a Senator I really have enjoyed it, and I’ve gotten a lot of good things done.,” Thompson Rehder said in a recent interview. 

“I am running for Missouri Lieutenant Governor because I want to better the lives of all Missourians by unabashedly protecting sacred Christian and Conservative values. In both the Missouri House of Representatives and State Senate, I have built a successful track record of strong and consistent leadership. I am not afraid to rock the boat for the sake of my constituents. I am proud of my history that is filled with championing reforms and legislation that improves the lives of ALL Missourians – not just the chosen few,” Rehder said in a statement Tuesday. 

She was the sponsor of legislation that passed in the most recent session that bans transgender females from competing in girls and women’s sports for four years. In past years, bills implementing a statewide prescription drug monitoring system and a Sexual Assault Survivor’s Bill of Rights also became law.

Her decision could lead to a primary with House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, who telegraphed his interest in the race in February, and others. The current Lt. Governor, Mike Kehoe, is running for the Republican nomination for governor.

Brown, a former Kansas City Public School teacher who has represented portions of the Kansas City area since 2017, and is set to serve in his final House session in 2024 due to term limits.

"I'm looking to do the job "Brown told Spectrum News Tuesday morning. "I don't want to be somebody who holds a title."

While the front-facing position most people associate with the Lt. Governor is the work of presiding over the Senate, there are other statutory obligations, including serving as a member of several state boards. He's already a member of one of them—the Missouri Tourism Commission—and his experience as a teacher fits with another role of the office as an advisor to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for the Parents as Teachers program.

In a message to constituents at the end of the 2023 session, Brown wrote of disappointment about the work done in the GOP-controlled chambers.

"I am disappointed that only 26 bills were truly agreed to and finally passed. We wasted time spent on the discriminatory transgender issues, DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), attempts at broadening where guns can be carried in the state and attempting to take power away from the citizens of our state through new rules for the Initiative Petition Process.” 

Brown has been the Assistant Minority Floor Leader since 2020. Brown’s interest in the statewide race prompted John Kiehne, the only Democrat who had filed with the MEC to run for Lt. Governor, to instead seek a Missouri House seat from the Eureka area. The transition for his Missouri Ethics Commission paperwork came one day after another member of the Democratic House leadership declared a statewide candidacy. Minority Floor Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield is running for governor.