JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster is hoping to ascend to the state’s top executive office as a Democrat, even though he has spent most of his nearly 22 years in elected office as a Republican.
Not only has Koster weathered a party change, but his opponent in the race for governor has, too. Eric Greitens, a former Navy SEAL officer who is the Republican nominee, previously identified as a Democrat, though he’s never held public office.
The 52-year-old Koster describes himself as a conservative Democrat. When he made the switch in 2007, supporters said the change was genuine while opponents called it political opportunism. It earned him the nickname “Koster the Impostor.”
Koster grew up in a Republican family in St. Louis. His father Rich Koster was a conservative commentator.
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