The 2020 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the Governor of Missouri, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Mike Parson ran for and was elected to a full term in office. Parson was elected as lieutenant governor in 2016 but became governor on June 1, 2018, after incumbent Eric Greitens resigned under threat of impeachment by the state legislature. Parson declared his bid for a full term on September 8, 2019. State Auditor Nicole Galloway, Missouri's only Democratic statewide officer and only female statewide officer, was the Democratic nominee and if elected, would have become Missouri's first female governor.
In October 2020, The Washington Post identified this state election as one of eight whose outcomes could affect partisan balance during post-census redistricting.
Despite most news agencies characterizing the race as only leaning Republican, Mike Parson went on to win the election by a landslide of 16.4%, widely outperforming all election polling as well as justifying the former swing state's trend towards the GOP. He even exceeded Donald Trump's statewide victory margin in the concurrent presidential election, which was actually greater than that in neighboring Kansas for the first time in 104 years. Galloway suffered the largest margin of defeat for a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Missouri since Betty Hearnes' 29-point loss in 1988.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
Mike Parson, incumbent governor of Missouri and former state senator
Eliminated in primary
Saundra McDowell, U.S. Air Force veteran and Republican nominee for Missouri state auditor in 2018 Jim Neely, state representative from the 8th district Raleigh Ritter, rancher and businessman
Declined
Jay Ashcroft, Missouri Secretary of State
Eric Greitens, former governor of Missouri
Tony Monetti, retired bomber pilot, assistant dean of aviation at University of Central Missouri, and Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2018
Endorsements
Polling
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
Nicole Galloway, Missouri state auditor
Eliminated in primary
Eric Morrison, community leader and pastor
Antoin Johnson
Jimmie Matthews
Robin Quaethem
Declined
Sly James, former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri
Jason Kander, former Missouri Secretary of State, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2016, former candidate for Mayor of Kansas City in 2019 Claire McCaskill, former U.S. Senator Scott Sifton, state senator from the 1st district and former state representative from the 96th district (endorsed Galloway)
Endorsements
Results
Other candidates
Libertarian Party
Nominee
Rik Combs, U.S. Air Force veteran
Results
Green Party
Nominee
Jerome Bauer
Results
General election
Predictions
Polling
Eric Greitens vs Nicole Galloway
Mike Parson vs Jason Kander
Mike Parson vs. Scott Sifton
Endorsements
Results
See also
2020 Missouri elections
Notes
Partisan clients
References
Further reading
. (About redistricting).