– State Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, announced his candidacy for Missouri Attorney General on Wednesday, nearly three years before Republican voters head to polls for the 2016 primary.

Speaking on the radio with Dana Loesch in St. Louis, Schaefer made his official announcement after months of speculation.

“On some of these things we worked on,” he said, referring his investigation into the Missouri Department of Revenue’s document scanning controversy, “it has become abundantly apparent to me that we need to have strong leadership in this state. … We need an attorney general who has the ability to stand up for the rights of Missourians.”

Schaefer is the first Republican to officially, fully enter the race. Last week, House Speaker Tim Jones openly declared that he was mulling a bid, but did not officially declare a candidacy.  Schaefer and Jones both seized on the document scanning controversy earlier this year, orchestrating a statewide tour together where they were critical of the Nixon administration.

Schaefer, who serves as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he would use the tools of the office to help the state navigate the law surrounding “big data,” a term he used to describe the government’s increasing collection of electronic information.

“We’re kind of at a precipice here in this era of big data,” he said. “Those battles are going to be fought in the states.”

Schaefer said he would be “very thrilled” to use the skills collected as a prosecutor for the state and now as a private attorney on the statewide stage if elected.

On the Democratic side, Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders has indicated his interest in the seat, as it is likely to be vacated by Chris Koster in 2016, who is expected to pursue a gubernatorial campaign.