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Sept. 4, 2024 |  By: Jason Hancock - Missouri Independent

Republican nominee for Missouri lieutenant governor drops defamation lawsuit

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By Jason Hancock - Missouri Independent

The Republican nominee for lieutenant governor has dropped a defamation lawsuit he filed before the Aug. 6 primary against the corporate owner of Missouri television stations and one of his political rivals. 

David Wasinger filed the lawsuit on Aug. 2 claiming that a television ad run by another Republican vying for the lieutenant governor nomination — state Sen. Lincoln Hough — was false and misleading because it claimed he was an “abortion-loving Democrat.”

The suit was filed against the political action committee that supported Hough and paid for the ad, called Lincoln PAC, and Hearst television stations, which ran the ad.

He asked a St. Louis judge to pull the ad off the air and award him at least $25,000 in damages. 

The judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order, and the ads continued airing through the primary election. 

“Simply put, this ad is so riddled with errors and Lincoln PAC does not even attempt to substantiate many of the falsehoods,” the lawsuit alleged. 

Wasinger edged out Hough for the nomination, winning by just one percentage point. 

On Tuesday, he agreed to dismiss the case. 

The lieutenant governor is next in line for governor, sits on various boards and breaks ties in the state Senate. In Missouri, unlike many other states, the lieutenant governor doesn’t run on a ticket with the governor. 

Wasinger is an attorney at a St. Louis law firm he owns and manages, and a certified public accountant. He was the main funder of his own campaign, loaning himself $2.6 million.

He will now face Democrat Richard Brown, a state legislator from Kansas City, and Libertarian Ken Iverson of St. Louis in November.