A state House member from Chesterfield is the first Republican to officially enter the Missouri treasurer's race.
Rep. Cole McNary said Thursday that he will seek to challenge Democratic Treasurer Clint Zweifel in the 2012 elections.
McNary cast himself as a fiscal conservative while announcing his candidacy. But he told The Associated Press that he has no particular complaints over the way Zweifel has run the office.
Zweifel had more than $720,000 in his campaign account at the end of September. McNary had a little over $28,000.
But McNary says Republican Tom Schweich's victory over Democratic Auditor Susan Montee in the 2010 elections gives him confidence that an incumbent treasurer also can be unseated.