Fitzpatrick Wins Missouri Auditor Race
Republican Scott Fitzpatrick secured a second four-year term as Missouri state auditor, defeating Democratic challenger Quentin Wilson.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Should Missouri cut state programs to close its projected budget shortfall?
Republican Scott Fitzpatrick won reelection as Missouri state auditor, defeating Democratic challenger Quentin Wilson. With 94% of votes counted, Fitzpatrick held a 5% lead, receiving approximately 1.05 million votes to Wilson's approximately 950,000.
Why it matters
The result keeps Republicans in control of the state auditor's office, which has been held by the party since January 2023. The auditor's office oversees state spending and has recently released projections of budget shortfalls.
With 94% of votes counted, Fitzpatrick led Wilson by 5 percentage points, roughly 1.05 million votes to 950,000. His 2022 margin over Alan Green was 21.8%, a significantly wider gap than this year's result.
The players
Scott Fitzpatrick
Scott Fitzpatrick is a Republican who previously served as Missouri state treasurer and chaired the Missouri House Budget Committee before winning the state auditor's office in 2022.
Quentin Wilson
Quentin Wilson is the Democratic challenger who lost the Missouri state auditor race to Republican Scott Fitzpatrick.
The details
Fitzpatrick, who previously served as Missouri's state treasurer and chaired the Missouri House Budget Committee, was the only statewide race on the November ballot. He succeeds Democrat Nicole Galloway, the last Democrat to win a statewide election in Missouri when she won reelection as auditor in 2018.
Timeline
November 3, 2026: Election Day, when votes were counted.
January 2023: Fitzpatrick's predecessor-era Republican control of the auditor's office began.
June: The auditor's office released a report projecting budget shortfalls.
Political Context
Fitzpatrick's win continues the Republican hold on the auditor's office that began in January 2023, after Democrat Nicole Galloway's 2018 reelection was the last Democratic statewide victory in Missouri. The auditor's office's recent projections of budget shortfalls place the race's outcome in the context of ongoing debate over state fiscal policy.
Missourians will see continued Republican oversight of state spending through the auditor's office, which has projected a state budget gap above $1.7 billion in fiscal year 2027. The office's projections warn the General Revenue Fund could be exhausted in early fiscal year 2028 if they hold.
The takeaway
Statewide offices like the auditor's post shape how state budgets are reviewed and reported, so the outcome bears directly on the fiscal projections Missourians will see in coming years.
Further reading
For more on statewide contests, see Elections coverage across Missouri.
Live Poll
Should Missouri cut state programs to close its projected budget shortfall?
