JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - After eight years as Missouri's Secretary of State, Jay Ashcroft will step down from office this month and seemingly pause his political career.

Ashcroft, a Republican who has served as the Secretary of State since 2017, will resign from his current office on Jan. 13. He vacated the position to run for Missouri governor last year, though his bid came up short when he finished third in the Republican primary.

In December, Ashcroft told the Missouri Independent that he has no plans to seek another elective office once his ongoing term ends.

On Friday, Ashcroft joined the Vic Porcelli Show on 101.9 FM and briefly shared some thoughts about his transition to civilian life.

"There's a pretty long list of things I really haven't been doing over the last two years because I've been traveling the state," Ashcroft said. "My wife has been very patient. There's a lot of those things that need to be done. I've been playing a lot of basketball with my daughter and my kids because I haven't been traveling as much. That's been wonderful. I'm pretty deep in some discussions with people about what I'll be doing on the job front, but I'm just not at a place where I'm at liberty to reveal the final discussion on that."

As Secretary of State, Ashcroft pushed for stricter voter ID laws, restrictions on library materials, and changes to Missouri's initiative petition process. He also showed strong opposition of abortion and Medicaid expansion.

Before his term ends, Ashcroft plans to call the Missouri House of Representatives on Jan. 8 to order and preside over the election of temporary officers, according to the Missouri Independent.

Jay Ashcroft, who also has experience as an attorney and engineer, is the son of former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Missouri State Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-District 21) will succeed Ashcroft as Secretary of State following his departure after winning the November 2024 general election for the office.