Another Republican has tossed his hat in the ring for Missouri attorney general.

Josh Hawley is a 35-year-old associate law professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Prior to his current position, he served as clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and was part of a team of lawyers that argued the Hobby Lobby case before the high court challenging the Obama Administration’s contraceptive mandate.

  In an interview with the Associated Press, Hawley painted himself as a political outsider.

"If you want a schmoozer and a back-slapper, then elect another politician to be attorney general," Hawley told the AP. "But if you want someone who has the expertise to stand up in the Supreme Court of the United States and defend our liberties and defend our values, then elect a constitutional lawyer."

Hawley is expected to face fellow Columbian Kurt Schaefer in the GOP primary for attorney general next year. Schaefer was first elected to the Missouri Senate in 2008 and re-elected in 2012.

On the Democratic side, State Sen. Scott Sifton and St. Louis County Assessor Jake Zimmerman are facing off against each other. Current Attorney General Chris Koster, meanwhile, is expected to run for governor, although he has not yet made it official.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter:  @MarshallGReport

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