Missouri Republican legislators are scrambling after one of their own candidates appeared in federal court Thursday on drug charges stemming from an alleged scheme to plant cocaine and Adderall on his own primary opponent — a race he won by just a few dozen votes.

State GOP officials are now calling on the lawmaker to withdraw so he can be replaced on the ballot.

According to KIRO 7, 37-year-old Thomas Ross of Joplin faces a federal conspiracy charge for allegedly recruiting his own campaign manager to slip the drugs into the car or purse of his rival, Louise Secker, in the weeks leading up to the August 4 primary for Missouri's 161st House District. Because the primary was decided by such a narrow margin, the allegations raise questions about whether the contest outcome could come under further scrutiny even as party leaders focus on the November ballot.

According to an FBI statement, Ross's former campaign manager told investigators that Ross handed him a glove with a bag of powder and a pill stuffed inside and instructed him to plant the items. Laboratory testing later confirmed the substances were cocaine and Adderall.

Text messages obtained by the FBI suggest Ross hoped to time the plant for maximum embarrassment, specifically aiming to catch Secker before she attended a local GOP women's meeting. Ross wrote that the plan, if pulled off, "would be extreme egg on the face" for Secker, according to the FBI document.

Missouri GOP Chairman Peter Kinder called on Ross to drop out of the race entirely, describing the allegations as "serious and deeply troubling."

Missouri's House District 161 sits near the state's western border with Kansas and Oklahoma. The district has historically favored Republicans; in 2024, Republican Lane Roberts won the seat by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. That partisan lean means the November outcome would ordinarily favor the Republican nominee, making the question of who appears on the ballot — rather than the general election itself — the decisive fight for the seat.

Under Missouri law, political parties generally have mechanisms to replace a nominee who withdraws before a statutory deadline, which is why party officials are urging Ross to exit the race now rather than remain on the November ballot. Federal conspiracy charges of this kind are prosecuted in U.S. district court and can carry significant prison terms upon conviction, though Ross has not been tried and remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The case now proceeds through the federal courts, where the next steps would include arraignment and, if it goes forward, trial — a timeline that could extend well past the November election.