Andrew Bailey | 98.3 The Dove

A former federal prosecutor who’s considering a run for Missouri attorney general says fentanyl is killing far more people than is being reported.

Will Scharf has launched a candidate committee for statewide office, signaling a run in 2024. Scharf tells listeners that he expects to make a formal announcement in January. He also served as the policy director for former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens. Scharf tells 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” that the United States must close the border.

“I don’t think I saw a single heroin case in my time in the U-S Attorney’s office. It’s all fentanyl. Whatever you think you’re getting, you’re actually just getting fentanyl,” Scharf says.

Scharf says there’s no heroin left in St. Louis.

“One of the real drivers of these overdose deaths is some dealers, if they have a weak batch of cocaine or a weak batch of another drug, they’ll just throw in a little bit of fentanyl so that the people they’re selling to get a kick out of it and think they’re getting better product,” says Scharf.

He’s also calling on the United States to confront China.

Scharf has been visiting with residents and conservative activists across the state. If he runs for Missouri attorney general, he would be challenging Republican Andrew Bailey in the August 2024 GOP primary. Governor Mike Parson (R) appointed Bailey to the post last week. Bailey has been serving as general counsel at the governor’s office.

Governor Mike Parson prepares to introduce Andrew Bailey as Missouri’s next attorney general on November 23, 2022 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Missouri’s next attorney general is a familiar name in state government and at the Statehouse in Jefferson City.

Governor Mike Parson (R) has appointed his office’s general counsel, Andrew Bailey, to the post. Bailey has also served as a Missouri Assistant Attorney General and as general counsel for the Missouri Department of Corrections.

He will be Missouri’s fourth attorney general in six years. Governor Mike Parson says bringing stability to the AG’s office is critical. The governor says he looked for five core things with this appointment.

“Commitment to law and order, patriotism and respect for the (state) Constitution. Conservative values, family values and someone who would promote calm and steady while never afraid to fight for Missourians,” Parson says.

Bailey’s start date hasn’t been determined yet. While the governor didn’t say it, he implied that he expects Bailey to run for the post in 2024. Parson tells Capitol reporters that Bailey has had many accomplishments as general counsel for the governor’s office.

“We fought for the unborn and ended elective abortions in Missouri. We’ve strengthened the Second Amendment protections. Supported law enforcement at every turn,” says Bailey.

Bailey will replace U.S. Sen.-Elect Eric Schmitt, the outgoing attorney general. This is the second time Governor Parson has appointed an attorney general. Parson appointed Schmitt to the post in 2018, when Josh Hawley was elected to the U-S Senate.

Meantime, Missouri’s top House Democrat is calling on Bailey to end what she calls outgoing attorney general Schmitt’s frivolous lawsuits. House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) says Schmitt used the attorney general’s office “as a taxpayer-funded arm of his political campaigns,” saying he wasted money on frivolous lawsuits.

‘We are hopeful that Mr. Bailey can succeed in the immense task that awaits him,” Leader Quade says, in a news release.

As for GOP Governor Parson, he says Bailey embodies the ideals of faith, family and freedom, and that he’ll fight for Missouri children like they’re his own.

Former federal prosecutor considering run for Missouri attorney general in 2024

Missouri’s governor say his AG pick embodies faith, family and freedom