Lincoln Hough launches lieutenant governor bid

State Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, yesterday announced he's running for lieutenant governor.

Hough, who first was elected as a state lawmaker in 2010, is slated to be on the Aug. 6. primary ballot.

In an interview with Springfield Business Journal this morning, the Republican lawmaker said his campaign would focus, in part, on rebuilding the state of politics in Missouri.

"Politics is a little bit in turmoil," he said, noting leaders are needed who can work respectfully with colleagues in both political parties. "Collectively, we can try to do the right thing."

He said he wants to continue the work of the current administration that includes Gov. Mike Parson and Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, both Republicans.

"I've had a good track record in the Senate, and I think Gov. Parson and Lt. Gov. Kehoe have put this state on a good path moving forward," Hough said.

Hough first was elected to the Missouri House in 2010 and became a senator in 2018 after a stint on the Greene County Commission, according to past reporting. Last year, he was named chair of the Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee, which helps to write the state budget.

"My name is on the largest tax cut in this state's history that we passed two years ago. We've fully funded the foundation formula every year that I've been in the Senate," Hough said. "I want to continue building on these successes."

Outside of Jefferson City, Hough is a first-generation cattle rancher who said he learned the value of business early on. In the seventh grade, he borrowed money from his parents to buy cattle, and he continues that work today on the family farm in Greene County. He has political science and English degrees from Missouri State University.

Fundraising for the lieutenant governor race is underway, he said, noting that's an aspect of politics that is always ongoing.

"We're sitting roughly at $1 million in the bank between our campaign committee and the PAC," he said.

The Missouri Ethics Commission lists eight candidates for lieutenant governor in the primary: Republicans Paul Berry, Tim Baker, Holly Rehder, Robert Onder, Philip Cotrone and David Wasinger, and Democrats Richard Brown and Anastasia Syes. The Friends Of Lincoln Hough committee registered with the MEC indicates Hough is running for a statewide office on Aug. 6.

Current Lt. Gov. Kehoe is running for governor as Parson prepares to exit the role.