BY: ANNELISE HANSHAW
Missouri Independent
State Treasurer Vivek Malek defeated multiple challengers Tuesday to hold on to his party’s nomination to keep his job this fall.
The Associated Press called the race for Malek at 9 p.m. He will face Democrat Mark Osmack and Libertarian John A. Hartwig Jr. in November.
Malek’s campaign ads touted his support for former President Donald Trump, belief in a fortified Southern border and his advocacy for divesting from foreign adversaries.
Malek’s background is as an immigration attorney, having immigrated to the United States from India in 2001. He told The Independent he is outspoken about unauthorized immigration because of the “additional burden on the healthcare and education systems.”
He believes granting citizenship to people who originally entered the United States without authorization incentivizes others to do the same.
But these views on immigration are not likely to impact his duties as treasurer, he said, unless there were a way to parse out spending only for lawful residents.
Malek was appointed treasurer in 2022 and took office Jan. 2023, and the office’s programs have grown under his watch. With one year in office, Malek set the record for the amount returned in unclaimed property with $51.8 million returned to people, up from $50.2 million.
He inherited a months-old scholarship program MOScholars, which funds private education and reserves tax credits for donors. MOScholars had $9 million in tax credits reserved in 2022 and $16.6 million in 2023, year two into the program.
In 2023, demand for scholarships overwhelmed funds as the office tried to reckon a funding cycle based on the calendar year and the need for those dollars following the school year.
A full term, Malek said, would build on the growth he’s seen in just under two years in office, though he sees the potential for a couple initiatives. He hopes the treasurer’s office can work with the legislature to create a mandatory personal finance course for high schoolers in upcoming legislative sessions.
He would also like to create investment opportunities for small municipalities.