via Wikimedia Commons
After Missouri Governor Eric Greitens officially resigned on Friday at 5 p.m., Lieutenant Governor Mike Parson took his place. Parson was sworn in following a private prayer service inside the Missouri State Capitol by Missouri Supreme Court Judge Mary Russell.
In a statement on May 29, following Greitens' announcement that he would resign, Parson said, "With Governor Greitens’ decision to resign from office, he has put the best interests of our state and all Missourians at the forefront where they belong. This is a decision that will allow our state to heal and move forward from what has been a difficult time.
"This is an enormous responsibility serving as our state’s next governor," Parson continued, "and I am ready to fulfill the duties of the office with honor and integrity, and with a steadfast commitment to making our great state even greater for the people we are entrusted to serve.”
Here's a brief overview of Parson's background:
Parson is from southwest Missouri. The 62-year-old grew up on a farm in Hickory County and graduated from Wheatland High School in Wheatland, Missouri. He's also a third-generation farmer and currently operates a cow and calf operation near his residence in Bolivar. He and his wife, Theresa, have two children and five grandchildren.
He's served in public office for decades. Before being elected lieutenant governor in 2016, Parson served in the State Senate for six years. Before that time, he served in the Missouri House of Representatives for six years. He was also a Polk County sheriff from 1993 to 2005. He served for six years in the U.S. Army.
He disagreed with Greitens on low-income housing tax credits. When a 10-member panel led by Greitens halted issuing state low-income housing tax credits that would match federal funds, Parson voiced his concerns: “I believe it will hurt rural Missouri,” Parson said. "None of us know the impact of what this is going to do to the people of the state of Missouri.” The Missouri Housing Development Commission eventually voted 8-2 against issuing the tax credits. Nonetheless, Greitens and Parson do hold some similar views: Both generally support abortion restrictions, tax cuts, and deregulation for businesses, according to The New York Times.
He made headlines for supposedly "requesting a personal driver," though he denied having made such a request. When his office presented its budget in January, news outlets reported that Parson requested $50,000 for a personal driver. The following day, his office released a statement saying that was not the case. "The request was for additional money to be divided into two entities: $25,000 to help with any legal fees that may occur throughout the year and $25,000 for a part-time employee whose responsibilities would include varied office duties as well as assist the Lieutenant Governor in travel when representing the people of Missouri," the statement read.
He's a proponent of Missouri's Castle Doctrine. Also known as the "stand your ground" law, it allows someone to use deadly force on his or her property in self-defense. While in the Missouri Senate, Parson co-sponsored a bill that would expand the Castle Doctrine. Later, during Parson's 2016 campaign for lieutenant governor, the NRA’s Political Victory Fund endorsed him. "I believe strongly in the right to keep and bear arms, and I am proud of my record of supporting pro-gun legislation including Missouri’s Castle Doctrine," he said in the statement. "If elected as Missouri’s next Lieutenant Governor, I will keep working to protect this core liberty.” The NRA gave him an A+ rating.
As of last August, he was reportedly the "lone statewide official who takes lobbyist gifts." According to an article in the Post-Dispatch from August 4, 2017, Parson accepted such freebies as meals and gifts from lobbyists, per data from the Missouri Ethics Commission. "Parson, who earns a taxpayer-paid salary of $86,400, did not respond to multiple requests for comment," the newspaper reported. Among the gifts: "$1,350 worth of commemorative coins from Jorgen Schlemeier, a lobbyist who represents trade groups and organizations ranging from the state's auto dealers to the St. Louis Zoo," according to the Associated Press.
As lieutenant governor, he hoped to defend farmers' interests. Parson also wanted to promote agritourism in Missouri, as well as consumer education in agriculture. “It’s the next generation that’s got to step up,” he told Farm Talk Newspaper last year. “You’re going to have to educate people on why it’s so important what farmers do.” While in office, he championed tax credits for ethanol and beef producers and looser gun regulations.
In 2006, he co-sponsored a bill to limit the Sunshine Law in Missouri. Co-sponsored by then-State Rep. Jeff Roorda, State Rep. Kenny Jones, and Parson (all former sheriffs), the bill would have exempted documents related to the internal investigation of law enforcement officers from Missouri’s Sunshine Law.
He’s a former gas station owner who cracked down on gas stations following reports of price gouging after 9/11. When he was sheriff in Polk County in 2001, Parson drew from that experience to halt gas price hikes after the September 11 terrorist attacks. According to the Springfield News-Leader, Parson “sent his deputies and officers from other area departments to every gas station in the county to find price hikes—and who ordered them.” Parson told the newspaper at the time: “Gas is a commodity. It’s something you’ve got to have. People are strapped. You got to buy it from somewhere. These are your customers. Why take advantage of your customers? If any other business did that, they’d lose customers."
