Pledging to fight for fairness and equal treatment for all Missourians, Jake Zimmerman this week announced that he will officially enter the race for Missouri attorney general.

As Missouri’s top law enforcement official, Zimmerman said he would draw on his experience as a former prosecutor, lawmaker and the current St. Louis County assessor to advocate for crime victims, consumers and taxpayers.

“Everyone has a right to fairness, regardless of whether you’re a millionaire or a single mom who is just trying to make ends meet,” Zimmerman stated in a news release. “Whether it’s prosecuting corporations that are cheating their customers, or cracking down on casinos and developers who are trying to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, I’ve dedicated my career to fighting to make sure people are treated equally under the law. It’s a fight I want to continue as Missouri’s attorney general.”

As an assistant attorney general for Missouri, Zimmerman fought on behalf of Missourians who had been victimized by illegal and unfair business practices. He prosecuted scammers who stole money from unsuspecting customers, shut down fake “training schools” that existed only to con students out of their hard-earned tuition, and even took on large cell phone companies that misled customers by disguising fees as taxes.

Zimmerman is the first elected St. Louis County assessor since 1960. As assessor for the largest county in Missouri, he fought back when powerful corporations tried to avoid paying their fair share of taxes by shifting the burden to small businesses and homeowners, according to the release. He successfully challenged casinos that sought windfall tax cuts that would have slashed local school budgets and cracked down on wealthy developers who tried to dodge taxes by pretending that parking lots were “farms.” And when a luxury senior center attempted to claim it was a “charity,” Zimmerman fought until the owners agreed to pay their fair share.

Before being elected assessor in 2011, Zimmerman served in the Missouri Legislature, where he championed consumer protections and ethics reforms designed to prevent lobbyists from controlling the system with unlimited gifts and campaign contributions.

“The culture of corruption in Jefferson City has gone on for too long,” Zimmerman stated. “We must fight for one fair set of rules for everyone. And if someone tries to exploit their position of power to game the system, they must be held accountable.”

Zimmerman, a Democrat, was born and raised in St. Louis County. He graduated from Clayton High School before going on to receive degrees from Claremont McKenna College and Harvard Law School. He and his wife, Megan, live in Olivette with their son Gabriel.