Greitens faces possible impeachment in the Republican-controlled state legislature over twin scandals involving an extramarital affair and mismanagement of a charity. But the governor is defiant, and in a move interpreted as a shot at Republicans demanding his resignation, he is choosing not to exercise his authority to shift a trio of popular Democratic initiatives to the August primary.

The measures would raise the minimum wage and legalize medical marijuana. Most worrisome for Republicans in majority-GOP Missouri, the third proposal would hand the decennial redistricting process over to a nonpartisan demographer charged with drawing politically competitive seats.

Republicans fret that the initiatives will supercharge Democratic turnout in the midterm, providing a lift to Sen. Claire McCaskill. The unpopular Democratic incumbent needs all the help she can get to hold off Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, her presumed Republican challenger.