Candidates in open seat race for Missouri auditor tout financial chops at forum

Three candidates vying to serve as Missouri’s next state auditor spent a Friday afternoon trying to prove that they have enough financial experience for the job as the state’s financial watchdog while largely avoiding sparring with each other.

The forum was hosted by the Missouri Press Association at The Lodge of Four Seasons in Lake Ozark. State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, the Republican nominee, former state Rep. Alan Green, the Democratic nominee, and certified public accountant John Hartwig Jr., the Libertarian candidate, fielded questions from journalists from around the state.

Fitzpatrick, who has served as treasurer since 2019, touted his leadership experience and conservative credentials as he runs to succeed outgoing Auditor Nicole Galloway.

“I got into politics because I was frustrated with bureaucracy,” Fitzpatrick said.

Galloway, the sole Democrat to hold a statewide office in Missouri, announced early in the election cycle that she would not seek reelection to the position she has held since 2015 after losing the 2020 race for governor.

If Fitzpatrick wins the auditor election and Republican Eric Schmitt holds the U.S. Senate seat for the party, then the GOP will control every statewide office in Missouri until at least 2025.

Fitzpatrick said he would work to root out financial fraud, regardless of party affiliation. He also touted conservative talking points like auditing schools for curriculum.

Green, who served in the Missouri House from 2014 to 2021, tried to use the forum to convince voters that he has enough financial experience to continue Galloway’s work in the office.

Hartwig, the Libertarian, touted his financial background as a CPA. While being an accountant is not a requirement, Galloway, the incumbent state auditor, is a CPA.

The auditor’s office serves as Missouri’s top financial watchdog agency in charge of conducting financial and performance audits of state agencies, boards and commissions and the state’s court systems. The audits look for waste, fraud and financial accountability.

The office has at times been used as a launching pad for politicians seeking higher office. Democrat Claire McCaskill, for example, used her two terms as auditor as a pathway to the U.S. Senate in the 2006 election.