# 2016 Missouri gubernatorial election

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The 2016 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the governor of Missouri, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The primaries were held on August 2. Incumbent Democratic governor Jay Nixon was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third term in office. State Attorney General Chris Koster and businessman, author and former U.S. Navy SEAL Eric Greitens won the Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively. On election day, November 8, 2016, the Associated Press declared Greitens the winner of the election, and Koster conceded shortly after.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Chris Koster, Attorney General of Missouri

#### Eliminated in primary

* Eric Morrison, pastor, community leader
* Leonard Steinman, perennial candidate
* Charles Wheeler, former mayor of Kansas City and former state senator

#### Declined

* Claire McCaskill, U.S. senator, former state auditor of Missouri and nominee for governor in 2004
* Clint Zweifel, State Treasurer of Missouri
* Joe Maxwell, former lieutenant governor of Missouri

### Endorsements

* St. Louis Post-Dispatch
* The Kansas City Star
* Missouri Farm Bureau

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Koster | Eric Morrison | Leonard Steinman | Charles Wheeler | Other | Undecided |
| St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Mason-Dixon | July 23–27, 2016 | 400 | ± 5.0% | 73% | 3% | 1% | 8% | — | 15% |
| SurveyUSA | July 20–24, 2016 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 57% | 7% | 3% | 7% | — | 26% |

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Chris Koster | 256,272 | 78.75% |
| | Democratic | Eric Morrison | 31,474 | 9.67% |
| | Democratic | Charles Wheeler | 25,756 | 7.92% |
| | Democratic | Leonard Steinman | 11,911 | 3.66% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 325,413 | 100.00% |

## Republican primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Eric Greitens, businessman, author and former U.S. Navy SEAL

#### Eliminated in primary

* John Brunner, businessman and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012
* Catherine Hanaway, former Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives and former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri
* Peter Kinder, Lieutenant Governor of Missouri

#### Deceased

* Tom Schweich, State Auditor of Missouri (died February 26, 2015)

#### Withdrew

* Randy Asbury, former state representative
* Bob Dixon, state senator
* Mike Parson, state senator (running for Lieutenant Governor)

#### Declined

* Tim Jones, Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives
* Bart Korman, state representative
* Blaine Luetkemeyer, U.S. representative
* Ron Richard, state senator and former speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives
* Dave Spence, businessman and nominee for governor in 2012
* Jim Talent, former U.S. senator

### Endorsements

* James E. Livingston, retired United States Marine Corps major general
* Rand Paul, U.S. senator from Kentucky
* Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas
* Gun Owners of America
* Jane Cunningham, former Missouri state senator
* John Lamping, former Missouri state senator
* Jim Lembke, former Missouri state senator
* Sarah Steelman, former State Treasurer of Missouri
* David Steelman, former Missouri House minority leader
* George Herbert Walker III, former United States Ambassador to Hungary
* Kirk Mathews, Missouri state representative
* Glen Klippenstein, former Missouri state representative
* Nate Walker, Missouri state representative
* Bill White, Missouri state representative
* Robert O'Neill, Navy SEAL
* Ben Carson, 2016 presidential candidate
* Joe Maxwell, former Missouri Lieutenant Governor (Democrat)
* Kit Bond, former U.S. senator and former governor of Missouri
* Tom Dempsey, president pro tempore of the Missouri Senate
* Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina
* Ron Richard, majority leader of the Missouri Senate
* Ann Wagner, U.S. representative, former United States Ambassador to Luxembourg, and former chair of the Missouri Republican Party
* St. Louis Post-Dispatch
* The Kansas City Star
* John Danforth, former U.S. senator and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations
* Rush Limbaugh, conservative radio talk show host, long-time Cape Girardeau family friend
* Dana Loesch, conservative talk radio and television host who has worked for TheBlaze and Breitbart News, author, co-founder the St. Louis Tea Party
* Jared Ogden, former Navy SEAL, Ultimate Survival Alaska celebrity, and Missouri resident

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | John Brunner | Eric Greitens | Catherine Hanaway | Peter Kinder | Undecided |
| St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Mason-Dixon | July 23–27, 2016 | 400 | ± 5.0% | 23% | 21% | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| SurveyUSA | July 20–24, 2016 | 773 | ± 3.6% | 21% | 25% | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| OnMessage Inc. | July 17–18, 2016 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 23% | 21% | 25% | 19% | 12% |
| Public Policy Polling | July 11–12, 2016 | 462 | ± 3.2% | 16% | 24% | 22% | 15% | 23% |
| Remington Research Group (R)/Missouri Scout | July 7–8, 2016 | 1,022 | ± 3.0% | 22% | 29% | 16% | 12% | 21% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | John Brunner | Catherine Hanaway | Peter Kinder | Tom Schweich | Dave Spence | Other | Undecided |
| Remington Research Group | February 2–3, 2015 | 747 | 3.6% | 10% | 13% | — | 16% | — | — | 62% |
| Remington Research Group | February 2–3, 2015 | 747 | 3.6% | — | 12% | 24% | 15% | — | — | 48% |
| Remington Research Group | February 2–3, 2015 | 747 | 3.6% | — | 16% | — | 19% | — | 18% | 47% |
| Remington Research Group | January 2015 | 1,355 | ? | — | 44% | — | 56% | — | — | — |
| Remington Research Group | January 2015 | 1,355 | ? | — | 39% | — | 37% | 25% | — | — |

### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Eric Greitens | 236,481 | 34.56% |
| | Republican | John Brunner | 169,620 | 24.79% |
| | Republican | Peter Kinder | 141,629 | 20.70% |
| | Republican | Catherine Hanaway | 136,521 | 19.95% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 684,251 | 100.00% |

## Third party and independent candidates
### Green Party
#### Candidates
##### Declared

* Don Fitz

### Independent
#### Candidates
##### Declared

* Les Turilli Jr., businessman

### Libertarian Party
#### Candidates
##### Declared

* Cisse W. Spragins, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010 and nominee for Missouri Secretary of State in 2012

#### Results

Libertarian primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Libertarian | Cisse W. Spragins | 3,515 | 100.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,515 | 100.00% |

## General election
### Debates

* Complete video of debate, September 30, 2016 - C-SPAN

### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Tossup | August 12, 2016 |
| Daily Kos | Tossup | November 8, 2016 |
| Inside Elections | Tossup | November 3, 2016 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean R (flip) | November 7, 2016 |
| Real Clear Politics | Tossup | November 1, 2016 |
| Governing | Tossup | November 4, 2016 |

### Polling

Aggregate polls
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Chris Koster (D) | Eric Greitens (R) | Other/Undecided | Margin |
| Real Clear Politics | October 28 – November 1, 2016 | November 1, 2016 | 45.5% | 46.0% | 8.5% | Greitens +0.5% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Koster (D) | Eric Greitens (R) | Other | Undecided |
| SurveyMonkey | November 1–7, 2016 | 1,368 | ± 4.6% | 48% | 47% | — | 5% |
| SurveyMonkey | October 31–Nov 6, 2016 | 1,119 | ± 4.6% | 49% | 46% | — | 5% |
| SurveyMonkey | October 28–Nov 3, 2016 | 879 | ± 4.6% | 49% | 47% | — | 4% |
| Public Policy Polling | November 1–2, 2016 | 871 | ± 3.4% | 47% | 44% | 4% | 6% |
| SurveyMonkey | October 27 – November 2, 2016 | 774 | ± 4.6% | 50% | 47% | — | 3% |
| The Missouri Times/Remington Research Group (R) | October 31 – November 1, 2016 | 1,722 | ± 2.4% | 45% | 46% | 4% | 4% |
| DFM Research | October 27 – November 1, 2016 | 508 | ± 4.4% | 45% | 39% | 10% | 6% |
| SurveyMonkey | October 26 – November 1, 2016 | 649 | ± 4.6% | 52% | 46% | — | 2% |
| Monmouth University | October 28–31, 2016 | 405 | ± 4.9% | 46% | 46% | 2% | 5% |
| SurveyMonkey | October 25–31, 2016 | 671 | ± 4.6% | 54% | 44% | — | 2% |
| Missouri Scout/BK Strategies (R) | October 27–28, 2016 | 1,698 | ± 2.4% | 46% | 45% | — | 9% |
| St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Mason-Dixon | October 24–26, 2016 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 46% | 45% | — | 9% |
| The Missouri Times/Remington Research Group (R) | October 23–25, 2016 | 2,559 | ± 1.9% | 47% | 45% | 4% | 4% |
| The Missouri Times/Remington Research Group (R) | October 9–11, 2016 | 2,171 | ± 2.1% | 48% | 42% | 5% | 5% |
| Monmouth University | October 9–11, 2016 | 406 | ± 4.9% | 46% | 43% | 2% | 8% |
| The Missouri Times/Remington Research Group (R) | October 4–5, 2016 | 1,588 | ± 2.6% | 44% | 41% | 5% | 10% |
| The Missouri Times/Remington Research Group (R) | September 26–27, 2016 | 1,279 | ± 3.0% | 51% | 35% | 5% | 10% |
| The Tarrance Group (R-Greitens) | September 19–22, 2016 | 606 | ± 4.1% | 45% | 42% | — | 13% |
| The Missouri Times/Remington Research Group (R) | September 19–20, 2016 | 1,076 | ± 3.2% | 47% | 37% | 4% | 13% |
| The Missouri Times/Gravis Marketing | September 11–13, 2016 | 604 | ± 4.0% | 49% | 41% | — | 8% |
| The Missouri Times/Gravis Marketing | September 4–6, 2016 | 589 | ± 4.0% | 47% | 41% | 3% | 9% |
| Missouri Scout/Remington Research Group (R) | September 1–2, 2016 | 1,275 | ± 3.0% | 46% | 42% | — | 12% |
| Monmouth University | August 19–22, 2016 | 401 | ± 4.9% | 51% | 40% | 3% | 6% |
| Remington Research Group (R) | August 5–6, 2016 | 1,280 | ± 3.0% | 45% | 43% | — | 7% |
| St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Mason-Dixon | July 23–24, 2016 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 52% | 33% | — | 15% |
| DFM Research | March 17–24, 2016 | 674 | ± 3.8% | 41% | 24% | 3% | 31% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 22–23, 2015 | 731 | ± 3.6% | 37% | 44% | — | 20% |
| Public Policy Polling | August 7–9, 2015 | 859 | ± 3.3% | 40% | 34% | — | 26% |
with John Brunner
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Koster (D) | John Brunner (R) | Other | Undecided |
| St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Mason-Dixon | July 23–24, 2016 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 46% | 40% | — | 14% |
| DFM Research | March 17–24, 2016 | 674 | ± 3.8% | 42% | 28% | 2% | 28% |
| Public Policy Polling | August 7–9, 2015 | 859 | ± 3.3% | 41% | 36% | — | 23% |
with Catherine Hanaway
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Koster (D) | Catherine Hanaway (R) | Other | Undecided |
| St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Mason-Dixon | July 23–24, 2016 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 52% | 36% | — | 12% |
| DFM Research | March 17–24, 2016 | 674 | ± 3.8% | 43% | 31% | 3% | 23% |
| Public Policy Polling | August 7–9, 2015 | 859 | ± 3.3% | 40% | 36% | — | 23% |
| Gravius Public Polling | January 7–8, 2015 | ? | ± 6% | 29% | 23% | — | 48% |
| Wilson Perkins Allen (R-Hanaway) | January 15–19, 2014 | 700 | ± 3.7% | 33% | 35% | — | 32% |
with Peter Kinder
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Koster (D) | Peter Kinder (R) | Other | Undecided |
| St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Mason-Dixon | July 23–24, 2016 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 47% | 46% | — | 7% |
| DFM Research | March 17–24, 2016 | 674 | ± 3.8% | 39% | 37% | 2% | 22% |
| Public Policy Polling | August 7–9, 2015 | 859 | ± 3.3% | 37% | 40% | — | 24% |
with Bob Dixon
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Koster (D) | Bob Dixon (R) | Other | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | August 7–9, 2015 | 859 | ± 3.3% | 39% | 35% | — | 26% |
with Bart Korman
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Koster (D) | Bart Korman (R) | Other | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | August 7–9, 2015 | 859 | ± 3.3% | 39% | 31% | — | 30% |
with Tom Schweich
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Koster (D) | Tom Schweich (R) | Other | Undecided |
| Gravius Public Polling | January 7–8, 2015 | ? | ± 6% | 30% | 26% | — | 44% |
with Randy Asbury
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Koster (D) | Randy Asbury (R) | Other | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | August 7–9, 2015 | 859 | ± 3.3% | 40% | 35% | — | 25% |
with Claire McCaskill
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Claire McCaskill (D) | Catherine Hanaway (R) | Other | Undecided |
| Gravius Public Polling | January 7–8, 2015 | ? | ± 6% | 19% | 30% | — | 51% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Claire McCaskill (D) | Tom Schweich (R) | Other | Undecided |
| Gravius Public Polling | January 7–8, 2015 | ? | ± 6% | 20% | 34% | — | 46% |

### Results

Missouri gubernatorial election, 2016 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Eric Greitens | 1,433,397 | 51.14% | +8.61% |
| | Democratic | Chris Koster | 1,277,360 | 45.57% | −9.20% |
| | Libertarian | Cisse Spragins | 41,154 | 1.47% | −1.22% |
| | Independent | Lester Benton Turilli, Jr. | 30,019 | 1.07% | N/A |
| | Green | Don Fitz | 21,088 | 0.75% | N/A |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 28 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,803,046 | 100.00% | N/A |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |

#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Adair (largest city: Kirksville)
* Audrain (Largest city: Mexico)
* Bates (Largest city: Butler)
* Buchanan (Largest city: St. Joseph)
* Chariton (Largest city: Salisbury)
* Clark (Largest city: Kahoka)
* Clay (Largest city: Liberty)
* Clinton (Largest city: Cameron)
* Dunklin (Largest city: Kennett)
* Franklin (Largest city: Washington)
* Greene (largest city: Springfield)
* Henry (Largest city: Clinton)
* Hickory (Largest city: Hermitage)
* Howard (Largest city: Fayette)
* Iron (Largest city: Ironton)
* Jefferson (Largest city: Arnold)
* Johnson (largest city: Warrensburg)
* Knox (Largest city: Edina)
* Lafayette (Largest city: Odessa)
* Lewis (Largest city: Canton)
* Linn (Largest city: Brookfield)
* Madison (Largest city: Fredericktown)
* Mississippi (Largest city: Charleston)
* Monroe (Largest city: Monroe City)
* New Madrid (Largest city: New Madrid)
* Nodaway (Largest city: Maryville)
* Pemiscot (Largest city: Caruthersville)
* Pettis (largest city: Sedalia)
* Pike (Largest city: Bowling Green)
* Platte (largest city: Kansas City)
* Ray (Largest city: Richmond)
* Reynolds (Largest city: Ellington)
* Saline (Largest city: Marshall)
* Scott (Largest city: Sikeston)
* Shannon (Largest city: Winona)
* St. Charles (largest city: O'Fallon)
* St. Francois (Largest city: Farmington)
* Ste. Genevieve (largest city: Ste. Genevieve)
* Washington (Largest city: Potosi)
* Wayne (Largest city: Piedmont)

#### By congressional district

Greitens won 6 of 8 congressional districts.
| District | Koster | Greitens | Representative |
| 1st | 78% | 19% | Lacy Clay |
| 2nd | 47% | 51% | Ann Wagner |
| 3rd | 40% | 57% | Blaine Luetkemeyer |
| 4th | 39% | 57% | Vicky Hartzler |
| 5th | 60% | 37% | Emanuel Cleaver |
| 6th | 40% | 57% | Sam Graves |
| 7th | 32% | 65% | Billy Long |
| 8th | 32% | 65% | Jason Smith |

## Campaign finance investigations

On April 28, 2017, the Missouri Ethics Commission fined Greitens' campaign $1,000 for violating state campaign ethics rules regarding campaign disclosure. Greitens did not contest the fine.
In 2018, Missouri attorney general Josh Hawley announced the opening of an investigation of Greitens' 2016 campaign financing.
On June 1, 2018, Eric Greitens resigned from office, leaving Mike Parson, his lieutenant governor, to succeed him.