Andrew Bailey

Andrew Bailey is an American attorney and politician. A Republican, he has been Missouri Attorney General since January 2023. Governor Mike Parson appointed Bailey to the post. Life and career before appointment as AG Bailey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Missouri on an Army ROTC scholarship. After earning his bachelor's degree, he was deployed to Iraq during the Iraq War. After his military career, he graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law. Bailey was general counsel of the Missouri Department of Corrections before joining the office of Governor Mike Parson as deputy general counsel. In 2021, he became Parson's general counsel. Appointment and tenure as AG In November 2022, Parson appointed Bailey, then age 41, as the 44th attorney general of Missouri. He took office on January 3, 2023. As AG, Bailey moved aggressively to expand his powers, and used his post to pursue conservative "culture war" issues. Abortion Bailey opposes abortion. In 2023, Bailey asked the state auditor's office to change the "anticipated costs" section of a proposed ballot initiative to restore abortion rights in Missouri, one of several initiative petitions filed following a state ban.Anna Betts, Missouri Supreme Court Allows Abortion Ballot Initiative to Move Ahead, New York Times (July 20, 2023).