Dean Plocher
American politician
Dean Plocher | |
|---|---|
| Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Rob Vescovo |
| Majority Leader of the Missouri House of Representatives | |
| In office January 6, 2021 – January 4, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Rob Vescovo |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Patterson |
| Member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 89th district | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 6, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | John Diehl |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1970-03-11) March 11, 1970 (age 54) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Middlebury College (BA) Saint Louis University (JD) |
Dean Plocher (born March 11, 1970) is an American politician who has served in the Missouri House of Representatives from the 89th district since 2016.[1][2] He was elected speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives on January 4, 2023.[3]
Criticism
In October 2023, Missouri senators, including fellow Republicans, called for Plocher's resignation following revelations that he had filed false expense reports. He began repaying reimbursements following media requests for his expense reports. Within calls to resign were concerns of Plocher's push to enter a $800,000 contract with a private company to handle constituent information.[4] A congressional staff member who raised ethical questions about the contracts reported feeling threatened by Plocher, and the chief of staff who had served three previous speakers of the house was abruptly fired.[5]
In November 2023, Plocher announced that he had hired Rod Jetton, previous speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, as chief of staff. The action was criticized as insulting towards victims of domestic violence, as Jetton previously admitted to beating a woman following sexual encounter.[6]
Plocher has also been criticized for a $60,000 in the Missouri State Capitol which involved $29,000 in furniture and repurposing office space for what he has referred to as a "butler's pantry," primarily stocked with alcohol. Criticisms reference the shortage of ADA compliant work spaces in the building, a lack of transparency in use of House operating funds, and expensive custom furnishings.[7]
Democrats in the House questioned Plocher's motivations in appointing representative Sarah Unsicker to the Special Committee on Government Accountability following her ejection from the Democrat Caucus and committee assignments due to promoting Antisemitism.[8]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dean Plocher | 3,462 | 60.20% | -6.14 | |
| Democratic | Al Gerber | 2,289 | 39.80% | +6.14 | |
| Total votes | 5,751 | 100.00% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dean Plocher | 15,310 | 65.10% | +4.90 | |
| Democratic | Jack Schilligo | 8,207 | 34.90% | -4.90 | |
| Total votes | 23,517 | 100.00% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dean Plocher | 12,922 | 58.38% | -6.72 | |
| Democratic | Kevin FitzGerald | 9,212 | 41.62% | +6.72 | |
| Total votes | 22,134 | 100.00% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dean Plocher | 15,200 | 59.65% | +1.27 | |
| Democratic | Luke Barber | 10,283 | 40.35% | -1.27 | |
| Total votes | 25,483 | 100.00% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dean Plocher | 10,559 | 60.13% | +0.48 | |
| Democratic | Luke Barber | 7,002 | 39.87% | -0.48 | |
| Total votes | 17,561 | 100.00% | |||
References
- ^ Mark Schlinkmann (2015-11-03). "GOP's Dean Plocher wins race to succeed Diehl". Stltoday.com. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
- ^ "Representative Dean Plocher". House.mo.gov. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
- ^ https://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills231/jrnpdf/jrn001.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Hancock, Jason (2023-10-26). "Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher dismisses calls for his resignation". Missouri Independent. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ Hancock, Jason (October 17, 2023). "Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher fires his chief of staff". Missouri Independent. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ Hancock, Jason (2023-11-09). "Rod Jetton's political career ended in scandal. Now he's Dean Plocher's chief of staff". Missouri Independent. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ Hancock, Jason (2023-12-20). "In a statehouse short on space, Dean Plocher converted an office into a liquor 'pantry'". Missouri Independent. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ^ Suntrup, Jack (2024-01-11). "Republican Missouri House Speaker names embattled Democrat to government accountability panel". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ "All Results; Official Results". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "All Results; Official Results". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "All Results; Official Results". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "Election Results; Official Election Returns" (PDF). Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
- ^ "Election Results; Official Election Returns" (PDF). Missouri Secretary of State. December 9, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
| Missouri House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Majority Leader of the Missouri House of Representatives 2021–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives 2023–present | Incumbent |
- v
- t
- e
Statewide political officials of Missouri
- Mike Kehoe, President
- Caleb Rowden, President pro tempore
- Cindy O'Laughlin, Majority Leader
- John Rizzo, Minority Leader
- Dean Plocher, Speaker
- Mike Henderson, Speaker pro tempore
- Jonathan Patterson, Majority Leader
- Crystal Quade, Minority Leader
