House Speaker says entrance of Senator into the race for attorney general does not affect his campaign

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It looks like there is going to be a showdown between two of Missouri's most powerful government officials to be attorney general in 2016

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Wrap: Kurt Schaefer announced Wednesday that he will run for one of the highest political positions in the state, a spot House Speaker Tim Jones is also vying for.

Schaefer wasn't available for comment, but Jones says he hasn't given much thought to his new competition.

Jones says his focus has not switched from the Missouri House to his campaign quite yet.

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Description: "Right now I am primarily and first and foremost focused on leading the general assembly over the next year and a half and I will speak for the Missouri House against what has unfortunately become the very liberal agenda of Governor Jay Nixon."

Jones still intends to run and says he thinks that his credentials will speak for themselves in his campaign.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Jessica Mensch.

Intro:	While the latest candidate for attorney general, Senator Kurt Schaefer, failed to return repeated calls for an interview, his opponent House speaker Tim Jones says his mind is far from the potential showdown.
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Wrap: Jones will not let another Republican entering the race deter him from running for one of the most powerful political positions in the state.

Jones says his campaign is not affected by Senator Kurt Schaefer's announcement.

However, Jones says he hasn't even been focused on the upcoming battle because his primary focus remains on his job in the Missouri House.

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Description: "And I'll let my credentials speak for themselves and I really haven't given much more thought to it than that and I hope Kurt does a great job on the budget and continues to represent the people of Columbia as well as he's done in the past."

Jones says he has been asked by Missourians all across the state to consider running for a higher office.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Jessica Mensch.

Intro:	Tensions could be high in the race between two of the most important government officials as they both fight to become the state's attorney general.
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Wrap: House Speaker Tim Jones says he doesn't anticipate any problems working with Senator Kurt Schaefer, despite the intense competition.

Jones says he doesn't want the campaign to get in the way of his job and says his work in the house must be his top priority.

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Description: "I don't think I agree that there would necessarily be any tensions. I have also been asked by Missourians all across the state to consider running for higher office, and I hope I earn the ability to do so."

Jones says the showdown with Schaefer is not his focus.

He added that he thinks Schaefer does an excellent job representing Columbia and he hopes that he continues to do so.

Schaefer was unavailable for comment.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Jessica Mensch.