Missouri House Republicans pick speaker designee

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Republicans have chosen suburban St. Louis Rep. Dean Plocher to be their next pick for Missouri House speaker. Republican state representatives on Tuesday chose the Des Peres lawmaker to succeed GOP Speaker Rob Vescovo. The full Missouri House must vote on Vescovo’s successor during the 2023 session. But Republicans have a sizeable majority, and the GOP’s designee is expected to be officially elected by the full House. Plocher currently is the House majority floor leader. That’s considered the No. 2 position in the House because the floor leader is in charge of the schedule.