David Mueller Drops Out of Race for St. Louis Circuit Attorney

The criminal defense attorney was ready to take on Kim Gardner — but then Gardner quit

Jan 23, 2024 at 1:32 pm

Defense attorney David Mueller was critical of how Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner ran her office. RYAN KRULL

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Criminal defense attorney David Mueller announced this morning he is dropping out of the race for St. Louis Circuit Attorney.

Mueller announced his candidacy last April amid the turmoil engulfing then-Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner. Gardner resigned in May and Governor Mike Parson appointed Gabe Gore, who has since stabilized the office and said that he will seek a full term in the job this November.

Mueller said as part of his statement that he no longer sees a path to winning for himself.

“I am not independently wealthy,” he wrote. “I will not continue to ask my supporters, friends, family and neighbors for money when I don’t see a path to use that money for a meaningful campaign.”

Mueller acknowledged that crime in St. Louis is currently at a historic low, but cautioned against a Circuit Attorney’s Office that inadvertently reverses the trend.

“At its reimagined best, a Circuit Attorney’s Office can only reduce the harms of crime by focusing on victims and true accountability,” wrote Mueller. “At its worst, such an office uses the violence of prison as a weak replacement for accountability and drives future crime by increasing poverty.”

Mueller will be donating remaining campaign funds to the Freedom Community Center, an organization focused on alternatives to incarceration, and the Missouri Justice Coalition, a group that works to overturn wrongful convictions.

“While I’m no longer in the race, I remain committed to ensuring that our legal system is responsive to all those involved in it and impacted by it,” the statement said. “And, as a St. Louis resident, I will push for policies and practices that continue propelling our community forward and making our city one that we will continue to be proud to be from.”