Wading into a growing Missouri Republican Senate primary campaign, state Attorney General Eric Schmitt is trying to distinguish himself as a voice of “flyover country” standing athwart coastal elites.
Schmitt, 45, is not the boldest-faced name competing for the GOP nod to replace retiring Republican Sen. Roy Blunt. Candidates so far include former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, a one-time rising star trying for a comeback after resigning over a sex and extortion scandal, and Mark McCloskey, who became a national figure after he and his wife pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters marching through their gated St. Louis neighborhood last summer.
But in a heavily Republican state where the GOP nomination is almost tantamount to election in November 2022, Schmitt brings plenty of conservative credentials to the race.
He has led a number of state lawsuits against the Biden administration, fighting back on the surge of migrants at the southern border and climate change policies that he says would affect major industries and jobs in Missouri.
Schmitt has also joined other states in litigating against what they call infringements of the Second Amendment. He even led a lawsuit against the Chinese government in April 2020 shortly after the coronavirus made its outbreak in the United States.
ERIC GREITENS COULD JOIN HIS INVESTIGATOR, JOSH HAWLEY, IN SENATE
That legal experience and heartland roots are at the center of Schmitt’s Senate bid, which he announced in March.
“I know that Missouri is often referred to, maybe in Washington, D.C., as ‘flyover country.’ But we want people to know that Missouri is leading the way and pushing back against the federal government and protecting the rights of Missourians and Americans,” Schmitt said in an interview with the Washington Examiner.
Schmitt said he’s had talks about his candidacy with Blunt and his counterpart, Sen. Josh Hawley.
In addition to Greitens and McCloskey, a swath of Missouri Republicans are eying the race. That includes GOP Reps. Vicky Hartzler, Ann Wagner, and Jason Smith. Several former Democratic state lawmakers have also announced a run, while Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and former Gov. Jay Nixon have been floated as alternative potential challengers.
“It’s very clear to me that Washington, D.C., needs more fighters,” Schmitt said. “It’s clear to me that we need more people and reinforcements in Washington, D.C., who are committed to saving America. And for those reasons, on behalf of the people of Missouri, I decided to run for the United States Senate.”
Schmitt first got involved with public office as an alderman for Glendale, outside of St. Louis, before being a state senator from 2009 to 2017 and then becoming state treasurer in 2017. Since 2019, Schmitt has been Missouri’s chief law enforcement officer.
Schmitt’s son, Stephen, who was born with a rare genetic condition called tuberous sclerosis, which causes tumors on his organs, has guided him throughout his career. The attorney general’s son also suffers from epilepsy, is on the autism spectrum, and is nonverbal.
“Dealing with that initially, as a first-time parent, there’s a lot of reflection that takes place about what’s the best way to kind of make a difference. And for me, it was public service,” Schmitt said. “So I ran for office and was able to kind of take that motivation … and make my community and my state a better place. And that continues to drive me to this day.”
During his two years-plus as attorney general, Schmitt fought against COVID-19 restrictions in local jurisdictions he felt were overreaching. That included a recent lawsuit against the St. Louis county executive.
But one of Schmitt’s most notable stances was joining Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit in late 2020 that challenged the election results of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Former President Donald Trump sowed doubt for months after the November election about the authenticity of President Joe Biden’s victory, leading a number of lawsuits in several states in hopes to overturn the election in his favor.
Schmitt was among 17 attorneys general who organized an amicus brief, also known as “friend of the court,” in support of the suit, which raised “constitutional questions of great public importance” about election integrity and public confidence in the electoral process.
Schmitt also praised his once predecessor, Hawley, whom he would join in the upper chamber if his bid is victorious.
The attorney general backed Hawley’s controversial move to object to the Electoral College results of the 2020 election in select states on Jan. 6, a day that ended with a riot at the U.S. Capitol. The Missouri Republican raised his national profile after becoming the first U.S. senator to announce his intentions to object.
“Josh Hawley has done a great job as Missouri senator,” Schmitt said. “There were a lot of questions with those states.”
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The Missouri primary election date is to be determined.
