MISSOURI
      Nov. 6, 2012 Governor

Gov.
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 Sen.3
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+Jay Nixon (D) i
 1,494,056
 54.77%
Dave Spence (R)
 1,160,255
 42.53%
Jim Higgins (L)
 73,509
 2.70%
write-ins (2)
 53

2,727,883
Registered voters: 4,180,659.  Highest office turnout: 2,757,323.
Plurality: 333,791 votes (12.24 percentage points).
 MO Secretary of State



Notes: Gov. Jay Nixon (D) won a second term, defeating businessman Dave Spence (R) and Jim Higgins (L).

In the Aug. 7, 2012 Democratic primary, Nixon garnered 85.99%  defeating two candidates.  On the Republican side, Spence announced his candidacy in a Nov. 15 interview.  Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder was seen as a likely challenger to Nixon, but after a number of scandals, he announced on Nov. 18 that he would seek re-election and endorsed Spence.  Spence, a first-time candidate, had built up Alpha Packaging, a plastics company, over 25 years before selling to a private equity firm; he also acquired Legacy Packaging in 2011 (>).  Spence won the Aug. 7, 2012 primary with 59.86% of the vote to 16.27% for Bill Randles, 15.07% for Fred Sauer and 8.79% for John Weiler.

The three candidates participated in one debate hosted by the Missouri Press Association in Columbia on Sept. 21 (>). 

Much of the campaign focused on the economy; Nixon and Spence painted sharply differing pictures of how Missouri was faring.

According to FollowTheMoney.org, the Nixon campaign received contributions totaling $16.0 million, while the Spence campaign raised  $11.5 million, of which $6.7 million came from the candidate (>).


Campaign Managers:
Jay Nixon: Oren Shur
(Mar. 2011) Campaign manager on Diane Denish for Governor (NM), Aug. 2009-Nov. 2010.  Communications director on Nixon for Governor, June 2007-Nov. 2008, and for the transition.  Communications director in the Office of Sen. Ben Cardin, Nov. 2006-June 2007.  Press secretary/spokesman at Ben Cardin for U.S. Senate, April 2005-Nov. 2006.  B.A. in political communication from The George Washington University, 2003.

Dave Spence: Jared Craighead
(Nov. 2011)  Previously attorney to the Kinder campaign.



See also:
--.  "Nixon: No more debates; Spence: He's afraid to face me."  [Spence campaign press release], posted by Randy Turner at The Turner Report, Oct. 24, 2012.

Jo Mannies.  "Spence and Nixon debate jobs - from after - as both showcase records to different audiences."  St. Louis Public Radio, Oct. 17, 2012.

Steve Kraske.  "Midwest Democracy | Candidate for Missouri governor beset by problems with late tax payments."  The Kansas City Star, Apr. 4, 2012.

David A. Lieb (AP).  "Spence to run for Missouri Governor."  News Tribune.  Nov. 15, 2011.







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