ST. LOUIS (Legal Newsline) -- State Sen. Kurt Schaefer said this week he plans to run for Missouri attorney general in 2016.
Schaefer, a Republican, made the announcement on a radio show Wednesday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
A partner in the law firm of Lathrop and Gage LLP, he was elected to the state Senate in 2008.
Schaefer also is the former general counsel and deputy director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, special counsel to the governor, special counsel to the Missouri Department of Agriculture, state assistant attorney general and special assistant U.S. attorney.
He currently chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, but is term-limited.
"We need an attorney general who will step up and protect the rights of all Missourians," he told the radio station, according to the Post-Dispatch.
Last week, Missouri House Speaker Tim Jones confirmed he, too, intends to run for attorney general.
Jones, also a Republican, made the revelation in an interview with St. Louis television station KMOX Thursday.
However, he said an official announcement "will have to wait."
Jones, who is term-limited like Schaefer, has been flirting with the idea for months and has considered running for other statewide offices.
Current Attorney General Chris Koster, a Republican-turned-Democrat, announced in April he intends to run for governor in 2016.
According to the Post-Dispatch, others likely to join the race for attorney general include state Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Republican, and former Democratic Party Chairman Mike Sanders.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.