An anti-LGBTQ+ right-wing Republican candidate for Missouri state representative is in custody on a charge that he conspired to plant drugs on his opponent in the Republican primary last month. He won the race by 32 votes.
Thomas Ross, 37, was booked into Joplin City jail on Tuesday. On Wednesday, federal prosecutors revealed he’s charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute a mixture or a substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.
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Court documents show Ross’s now-former campaign manager was enlisted by the candidate in a scheme to plant drugs on his opponent in the primary, Louise Secker.
The staffer, identified as C.S. in documents, contacted Joplin City Police on July 30, which in turn informed the FBI.
According to a probable cause document obtained by KSN News, the staffer said Ross provided him with a black latex glove that contained a small bag of white powder and a pink and white pill. The substances later tested positive for cocaine and Adderall.
According to the document, the Adderall was from Ross’s own prescription.
On July 31, the staffer agreed to wear a wire and meet with Ross. The meeting happened at Ross’s residence in Joplin and lasted over an hour.
According to court documents, the recording revealed that “C.S. told Ross that he still had ‘the bag and addies’ if Ross wanted him to ‘try.’ Ross agreed and told C.S. that Secker had been carrying a small purse and C.S. suggested that they could call in an anonymous tip that Secker had drugs in her car. C.S. then asked Ross if that was something he still wanted done, to which, Ross responded with ‘If you can pull it off… pull it off.’”
Since his arrest, Ross has been transferred from the Joplin City jail to federal custody.
In a statement released to KY3 News on Wednesday, Missouri Republican Party Chairman Peter Kinder said he was “deeply troubled” to learn of Ross’s arrest, saying, “While Mr. Ross is entitled to due process and the facts surrounding this matter must be allowed to come to light, the circumstances of his arrest are serious.”
Kinder called on Ross to “immediately withdraw his candidacy.”
The Jasper County Republican Central Committee joined Kinder in calling for Ross’ withdrawal.
Under state law, Ross has until the eighth Tuesday before the election, or September 8th, to remove himself from the race.
Pending that withdrawal, Ross would remain on the ballot and could conceivably win in the deep red district. The current occupant of the seat, Lane Roberts, who is term-limited, defeated his Democratic opponent by a two-to-one margin in 2024.
Ironically enough, this was Ross’s third run for the seat and his first primary win, following defeats in 2022 and 2024.
This year’s Democratic nominee, Aaron Metzger, told The Missouri Independent that his “thoughts are with (Ross’) family during this devastating time.”
“This doesn’t change my belief that the people of Joplin deserve real representation, and I will continue my campaign delivering that message,” Metzger said.
A candidate survey from the Christian nationalist American Family Association indicates Ross toes the line among far-right conservative “values” voters in his district and state.
Asked about “biological males” in women’s spaces, Ross replied, “XY=male XX=female. That is how you came into the world, it may not be what you want to be, but it is what you are.”
He also stated in the survey that religious owners should be allowed to refuse services if it would violate their religious or moral beliefs; he strongly agreed that children must be protected from “gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation,” and that taxpayer funds should not be used to provide gender transition services.
He chose not to answer a survey question that asked whether he agreed with the statement, “Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred, and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.”
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