Eric Schmitt

Last updated

Jaime Forrester
​
(m. 1999)​
Eric Schmitt
Sen. Eric Schmitt, official portrait, 118th Congress.jpg
Official portrait, 2023
United States Senator
from Missouri
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Servingwith Josh Hawley
Children3
Education Truman State University (BA)
Saint Louis University (JD)
Website Senate website
Campaign website
Schmitt's voice
Schmitt questions witnesses on Chinese assets in foreign ports
Recorded February 15, 2023

Eric Stephen Schmitt [1] (born June 20, 1975) is an American attorney and Republican Party politician serving since 2023 as the junior United States senator from Missouri. Schmitt previously served as the 46th state treasurer of Missouri from 2017 to 2019 and as the 43rd Missouri attorney general from 2019 to 2023.

Contents

Schmitt began his political career by serving as an alderman for Glendale, Missouri and represented the 15th district in the Missouri Senate from 2009 to 2017. In the Missouri Senate, he sponsored major reductions in the state income tax and franchise tax, expanded benefits and tax exemptions for disabled citizens, and led a bipartisan effort in response to the Ferguson unrest to successfully eliminate traffic ticket quotas and limit local revenues from non-traffic fines. In 2016, Schmitt was elected State Treasurer of Missouri.

In 2018, Governor Mike Parson appointed Schmitt as Missouri Attorney General. [2] [3] He was elected to a full four-year term as attorney general in 2020. As attorney general, he filed or joined lawsuits seeking to invalidate the Affordable Care Act, challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election (in Texas v. Pennsylvania ), and, on 25 occasions, oppose the policies of the Joe Biden administration. He also sued school districts and municipalities for implementing mask requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic and sued the government of China and Chinese Communist Party for their alleged role in the pandemic.

In 2022, Schmitt was elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating Democratic nominee Trudy Busch Valentine. He is currently the vice chair of the Congressional Joint Economic Committee.

Early life and education

Schmitt was born in Bridgeton, Missouri, [4] a suburb of St. Louis. He graduated from DeSmet Jesuit High School in 1993 and from Truman State University in 1997, with a BA in political science. At Truman, Schmitt was a member of the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity, played football and baseball, and was a founding member of Truman's Habitat for Humanity chapter. He received a scholarship to attend Saint Louis University School of Law, where he earned his JD in 2000. [5]

For the fall 2018 semester, Schmitt was an adjunct faculty member at Saint Louis University. [6] He and his family are Roman Catholic.

Early law and political career

Lawyer and Glendale alderman

Schmitt was admitted to the Missouri bar in 2000. He was a partner at the firm Lathrop & Gage, LLP in Clayton, Missouri. [7] Schmitt served as an alderman for Glendale, Missouri, from 2005 to 2008; he was one of two aldermen for Ward 3. [8] [9]

Missouri Senate (2009–2017)

On November 4, 2008, Schmitt was elected to the Missouri Senate. He represented the 15th district, which includes parts of central and western St. Louis County. [10] Following the 2010 census, Schmitt's district was redrawn, but still centered around central St. Louis County. Schmitt ran unopposed in both the primary and general elections in 2012. [11]

In 2016, Schmitt sponsored S.B. 572, which set a limit on the percent of revenue that Missouri local governments could obtain from non-traffic fines (such as fines for violation of city ordinances). The bill passed the state Senate in a 25–6 vote in January 2016. [12] After the Ferguson unrest, Schmitt said that too many municipalities overrelied on fines to raise revenue and fund their budgets. He led the bipartisan legislative effort to bar cities, counties and law-enforcement agencies from setting traffic-ticket quotas. Schmitt worked with Senator Jamilah Nasheed and others on the legislation, which passed the State Senate in February 2016 and was enacted into law. [13] [14] [15]

In 2010, Schmitt, who has a son with autism, supported a bill in the Missouri General Assembly that required health insurers to pay up to $40,000 annually to beneficiaries for applied behavioral analysis, a type of autism therapy. [16] In 2015, he worked to enact legislation allowing Missouri residents to establish tax-exempt savings accounts for relatives with disabilities. [17] Governor Jay Nixon signed the bill in 2015. [18]

In the State Senate, Schmitt championed tax-cut legislation. [19] [20] He sponsored a major franchise tax cut, which passed. [19] In 2013, he introduced legislation that would halve the state's corporate income tax and reduce taxes on C corporations. [19] Schmitt and supporters promoted the tax as a way to match the Kansas experiment, while opponents called the taxes economically unsustainable. [19] The legislation, enacted in 2014, also lowered state income taxes by 0.1% beginning in 2018. [20] [21]

In 2016, Schmitt joined 23 other Republican members of the State Senate in voting in favor of SB 656, a bill that removed the requirement for a permit to open carry and added a "stand your ground" provision. [22] [23] After it passed the state legislature, Governor Jay Nixon vetoed the bill, but the veto was overruled. [22]

Missouri state treasurer (2017–2019)

Schmitt did not run for reelection to the Missouri Senate in 2016 because he was term-limited. Instead, he filed to run for treasurer of Missouri in the 2016 elections. [24] Schmitt ran as a Republican and was unopposed in the Republican primary. [25] He defeated Democrat Judy Baker and Libertarian Sean O'Toole in the general election. [26]

Schmitt launched the MO ABLE program in 2017, which is similar to 529 college savings plans. [27] [28] [29] He created the Show-Me Checkbook website which provides data on state spending, state revenues, payroll, debt obligations, and cash flow. [30] [31] [32] In 2014, he sponsored legislation that triggered automatic tax cuts when state revenues exceed certain thresholds. [33] [34] [35]

Missouri Attorney General (2019–2023)

Schmitt during his tenure as attorney general AG-General Eric Schmitt.jpg
Schmitt during his tenure as attorney general

Governor Mike Parson appointed Schmitt as Missouri Attorney General to succeed Josh Hawley, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018. Schmitt took office in January 2019. In 2020, he was elected to a full term.

He remained attorney general until his election to the United States Senate in 2022 and his resignation in 2023.

Affordable Care Act

Schmitt filed lawsuits to have the Affordable Care Act invalidated by courts. [36] [37] [38] After Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment to expand Medicaid coverage in the state, he argued that Republican lawmakers and Governor Mike Parson could legally refuse to implement the expansion. [39] [40] The Missouri Supreme Court rejected that position in a 2021 ruling. [40]

COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Missouri, Schmitt filed lawsuits to prevent St. Louis County from implementing public health restrictions (such as restrictions on indoor dining, mask mandates and limits on gatherings) to reduce COVID-19's spread. [41] [42] He opposed the release from jail of some inmates charged with violent felonies during the pandemic, a measure that had been proposed to reduce COVID-19 spread in detention facilities. [43] [44] [45]

Schmitt was involved in efforts to combat scammers and price gougers attempting to profiteer off COVID-19. [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] In March 2020, he sued televangelist Jim Bakker and Morningside Church Productions, Inc. for falsely claiming that "Silver Solution" (colloidal silver) was an effective COVID-19 treatment. [51] [52]

In April 2020, on behalf of the State of Missouri, Schmitt sued the Chinese government, Chinese Communist Party, and other Chinese officials and institutions in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, alleging that their actions to suppress information, arrest whistleblowers, and deny COVID-19's contagious nature led to loss of life and severe economic consequences in Missouri. Missouri is the first state to sue China over the pandemic. [53] Schmitt described the lawsuit as a historic accountability measure, but legal experts called it a public relations stunt. [54] [55] The nine defendants were not served for more than a year after the complaint's filing, and the state spent $12,000 to translate the complaint into Chinese. [55] In July 2022, U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. dismissed the suit for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, noting that the defendants enjoyed sovereign immunity. [54] [55]

In August 2021, Schmitt sued local school districts in Missouri after they implemented mask mandates. [56] In September 2021, he sued Jackson County, Missouri, for enforcing an order that required restaurants to comply with a mask mandate. [57] In November 2021, the Missouri Department of Health concluded a study that found that mask mandates in Missouri reduced COVID-19 infections and deaths. [58]

Criminal prosecutions and convictions

In 2019, Schmitt launched the SAFE Kit Initiative to reduce the backlog of untested sexual assault kits in Missouri. [59] [60] As of October 2021, approximately two thousand kits had been examined under the initiative and thousands remained to be tested. [61]

In January 2020, Schmitt prosecuted a murder case in the City of St. Louis. The jury returned a quick verdict, finding Antonio Muldrew guilty of first-degree murder for shooting and killing Ethiopian refugee Abdulrauf Kadir at a convenience store in 2014. This was the first time a Missouri attorney general prosecuted a murder case in the City of St. Louis. [62] [63]

On July 21, 2020, Schmitt filed amicus briefs that argued that "Missouri's statutes specifically authorize Missouri citizens to use firearms to deter assailants and protect themselves, their families, and homes from threatening or violent intruders" and requested dismissal of cases filed by prosecutor Kimberly Gardner against Patricia and Mark Thomas McCloskey for brandishing firearms at protesters who had trespassed on their property while marching in St. Louis in 2020. [64] [65] Schmitt expressed concern about "the chilling effect that this [case] might have with people exercising their Second Amendment rights." [66]

Schmitt opposed motions calling for the release of Lamar Johnson, who was convicted for murder on the basis of a single eyewitness's testimony, after a conviction integrity unit found "overwhelming evidence" of Johnson's innocence in 2019. [67] Prior to hearings on his release, Schmitt unsuccessfully called for sanctions on St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner. [68] In February 2023, Circuit Judge David Mason found "clear and convincing evidence" that Johnson was not guilty and ordered his release in February 2023 after 28 years in prison. [69]

Schmitt also opposed the release Kevin Strickland, who served 43 years before his release in November 2021, on procedural grounds after Jean Peters-Baker, the prosecutor responsible for reviewing his case, publicly expressed her belief in his innocence. [70] [71] Schmitt's office took the position that the law allowing Peters-Baker to challenge the wrongful conviction required an adversarial process, in which the office of the Attorney General represented the state, as a check on local prosecutorial authority. A judge rejected a motion to retitle the case State of Missouri v. Jean Peters Baker. [72] [73] Despite their procedural argument, assistant attorney general Andrew Clarke said the office believed Strickland to be guilty and that he should remain incarcerated. [74] In August 2021, Schmitt's office issued a subpoena requiring Peters-Baker to turn over any communication with third parties regarding the case, which she characterized as "harassment." [75] After Strickland's release, Peters-Baker said Schmitt's handling of the case amounted to "prosecutorial malpractice" and referred to his procedural position as "profoundly idiotic." [70]

In 2022, Schmitt reiterated his position on the attorney general's role in innocence proceedings and attempted to dismiss hearings on Michael Politte's conviction for the 1998 murder of his mother in Washington County, after a Washington County prosecutor filed a motion for exoneration on the grounds that 2002 chromatography analysis from case had been "scientifically proven false" after a review by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The case continued under his successor, Andrew Bailey, [76]

Lawsuits against Joe Biden administration

In a 20-month span, Schmitt filed 25 lawsuits against the Biden administration with mixed results. The number of cases filed against the administration by Missouri during his tenure was second only to Louisiana. [77]

Texas v. Pennsylvania

In 2020, Schmitt was among 17 Republican attorneys general who joined Texas attorney general Ken Paxton in suing Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania to invalidate their electoral votes in the 2020 United States presidential election. The suit claimed the four states' presidential vote tallies were unconstitutional; no evidence supported these claims and the arguments had already been rejected in other state and federal courts. [89] [90] On December 11, 2020, the Supreme Court rejected the suit in an unsigned opinion. [91]

Other lawsuits, investigations, and prosecutions

In August 2019, Schmitt withdrew a legal brief that argued that the First Amendment allowed government officials to withhold records from a freedom of information request, following criticism from transparency advocates who noted that the brief did not cite any case law. [92] A Freedom Center of Missouri representative raised concern that the argument is similar to a case involving Governor Mike Parson, which Schmitt had not yet ruled on. [93]

Under Schmitt, the attorney general's office sued the city of Marshfield, Missouri, alleging that it maintained a ticket-quota system, in violation of the state law Schmitt had sponsored as state senator banning such quotas. In 2020, the suit ended in a settlement in which the city agreed to maintain a compliance program and have its state officials undergo training on the law. [94]

In September 2019, a bipartisan group of state attorneys general, including Schmitt, launched an antitrust investigation against Google. The attorneys general accused Google of prioritizing searches for companies that advertise on the search engine platform in violation of antitrust law. [95] [96]

U.S. Senate (2023–present)

Elections

2022

On March 24, 2021, Schmitt announced his candidacy for the United States Senate to succeed incumbent Republican Roy Blunt. [97] [98] His candidacy was backed by Missouri mega-donor Rex Sinquefield. [79] In the speech announcing his candidacy, Schmitt tied himself to Donald Trump and railed against "the radical left". [79] He pledged to vote against Mitch McConnell as party leader in the Senate. [99] Schmitt made his legal challenges to the Biden administration a major theme of his U.S. Senate campaign. [77]

The day before the primary, former president Donald Trump released a statement endorsing "ERIC". Schmitt was joined in the Republican primary by two other candidates with that name, former governor Eric Greitens and lesser-known candidate Eric McElroy. Trump did not indicate which candidate or candidates he was endorsing, and declined to clarify. [100] [101] Politico reported it as an endorsement of both Greitens and Schmitt, as Trump had apparently expressed indecision about which of the two to back before a dual endorsement was suggested; he separately contacted both to pledge his support, and each subsequently claimed the endorsement as his. [102]

Schmitt won the Republican primary on August 2, 2022, with 45.6% of the vote. [103] He won the general election with 55.4%, defeating Democratic nominee Trudy Busch Valentine by a margin of 13.2%.

Tenure

Upon the opening of the 118th United States Congress on January 3, 2023, Schmitt was sworn in by Senate president and Vice President Kamala Harris. He tweeted that he was honored to be the 2,000th senator to hold office in the history of the Senate. [104]

Schmitt was among the 31 Senate Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, a bill to raise the debt ceiling. [105]

In February 2025, when NBC's Kristen Welker asked Schmitt the same question posed to Tulsi Gabbard during her DNI confirmation hearing—whether he would call Edward Snowden a traitor—he said many asking this oppose Gabbard because she would "reform and curb the excesses and the worst instincts of the intelligence community that at times that has gone after presidential candidates". [106]

Later that month, after President Trump called Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator" and said Ukraine was at fault for the Ukraine war, Schmitt said Zelenskyy should not be "openly criticizing" Trump and should "stop lecturing" him. [107] [108] Schmitt said that Trump had spoken "a lot on the campaign trail" about "trying to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. ... He's a master negotiator, and I think he's going to get to a lasting peace." According to ABC News, Schmitt was the only Republican senator "to seemingly offer both support for Trump and the premise of his statements on Ukraine and Russia". [108]

In April 2025, when asked about Trump's defunding of Title X grants to Missouri healthcare providers, Schmitt said he would be "happy to look at it more closely", and questioned the severity of the defunding of federal programs. [109] Also in April, Schmitt filed a bill to make Easter Monday a federal holiday. [110]

Committee assignments

For the 117th United States Congress, Schmitt was named to two Senate Committees. [111] They are:

Political positions

Abortion

On June 24, 2022, minutes after the Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization , which overturned the constitutional abortion protections in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey , Schmitt issued a declaration that his office would enforce a law passed in 2019 that effectively banned abortion in Missouri. [112]

Criminal justice

As attorney general, Schmitt supported an effort in the Missouri legislature to increase the number of police officers in St. Louis City by lifting the residency requirement for police officers. [113] [114] [115]

Immigration

In April 2022, Schmitt repeated a Great Replacement–derived claim on Glenn Beck's program that the Democratic Party seeks to "fundamentally" change the country through illegal immigration to the United States. [116]

LGBTQ+ rights

In 2019, Schmitt was among 14 Republican state attorneys general signatories who signed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court brief arguing that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect LGBTQ+ people from employment discrimination. [117] In June 2020, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation does violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964. [118]

Religion and schools

In 2019, Schmitt spoke in defense of the Cameron R-1 School District after it came under criticism from the Freedom From Religion Foundation over a high school football coach who led students in prayer before and after games. The group contended that the practice violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. In a letter, Schmitt called the foundation an "extreme anti-religion organization" and said he would support the coach, school, and school district if the group sued. [119]

Second Amendment

In 2022, Schmitt received an "A+" rating and endorsement from the NRA Political Victory Fund. [120] [121]

Electoral history

2008 Missouri Senate 15th district election [122]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Eric Schmitt 51,366 54.7
Democratic James Trout42,46945.3
Total votes93,835 100.0
2012 Missouri Senate 15th district election [123]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Eric Schmitt 77,745 100 +45.3
Total votes77,745 100.0
2016 Missouri State Treasurer election [124]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Eric Schmitt 1,545,582 56.4
Democratic Judy Baker 1,078,06339.4
Libertarian Sean O'Toole78,5432.9
Green Carol Hexem66,4901.3
Total votes2,738,122 100.0
2020 Missouri Attorney General election [125]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Eric Schmitt 1,752,792 59.4
Democratic Rich Finnernan1,117,71337.9
Libertarian Kevin Babcock81,1002.7
Total votes2,951,605 100.0%
2022 United States Senate Republican primary in Missouri
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Eric Schmitt 299,282 45.6
Republican Vicky Hartzler 144,90322.1
Republican Eric Greitens 124,15518.9
Republican Billy Long 32,6035.0
Republican Mark McCloskey 19,5403.0
Republican Dave Schatz 7,5091.1
Republican others27,6834.2
Total votes655,675 100.0
2022 United States Senate election in Missouri
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Eric Schmitt 1,146,966 55.43 +6.25
Democratic Trudy Busch Valentine872,69442.18−4.21
Libertarian Jonathan Dine34,8211.68−0.74
Constitution Paul Venable14,6080.71−0.20
Total votes2,069,130 100.0

References

  1. ↑ Sarasota Wine Market v. Eric Stephen Schmitt, 19-1948 (8th Cir.March 24, 2021).
  2. ↑ Suntrup, Jack (November 13, 2018). "State Treasurer Eric Schmitt to become Missouri AG after Hawley elected to Senate". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  3. ↑ King, Samuel (November 13, 2018). "Missouri's Next Attorney General Will Be State Treasurer Eric Schmitt". KCUR-FM . Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  4. ↑ Qian, Liying (August 3, 2016). "Democrat Judy Baker to face GOP's Eric Schmitt in state treasurer election". Missouri Business Alert. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Senator Eric Schmitt". www.senate.mo.gov. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  6. ↑ Jost, Ashley (January 9, 2018). "Missouri treasurer picks up a class at SLU — as the teacher". STLtoday.com. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  7. ↑ Franklin, Danielle Mae (November 13, 2018). "Lathrop Gage congratulates Schmitt being appointed Attorney General". Clayton Times. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Mayor & Board". City of Glendale, Missouri. Archived from the original on December 19, 2005. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Sullivan elected new alderman for Ward III" (PDF). Glendale Guide. City of Glendale, Missouri. Summer 2008. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 2, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Senator Eric Schmitt". www.senate.mo.gov. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Certified Candidate List – State Senator – District 15". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  12. ↑ Stuckey, Alex (January 28, 2016). "Cap on non-traffic violation revenue passed by Missouri Senate" . Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  13. ↑ Kohler, Jeremy (February 2, 2020). "Attorney general seeks to revive Ferguson-inspired police and court reforms that roiled St. Louis County". St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  14. ↑ Mannes, Jo; Korando, Donna (July 9, 2015). "Nixon signs bill mandating municipal court changes and setting standards". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  15. ↑ Schmitt, Eric (August 7, 2015). "'Taxation by Citation' Undermines Trust Between Cops and Citizens" . The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Mo. General Assembly passes autism insurance bill". St. Louis Public Radio. May 12, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Governor signs bill allowing savings accounts for disabilities". June 30, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Missouri legislators continue autism successes with bill signature". The Missouri Times. June 29, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Faughn, Scott (May 20, 2013). "Schmitt models his work on cutting taxes after Jack Kemp". The Missouri Times. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  20. 1 2 Taylor, Jason (December 26, 2017). "Missouri State Treasurer positioning himself as biggest tax cut proponent". Missourinet. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  21. ↑ "State Treasurer Eric Schmitt: Tax cuts on the way for Missourians in 2018". The Caldwell County News. July 6, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  22. 1 2 "SB 656 - Authorizes Concealed Carry Without a Permit - Missouri Key Vote".
  23. ↑ Curtis, Tim (August 26, 2016). "SB 656 override vote brings out coalition of opponents". The Missouri Times. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Schmitt running for MO treasurer in 2016". KRCG . July 2, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  25. ↑ "SOS, Missouri – Elections: Offices Filed in Candidate Filing". s1.sos.mo.gov. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  26. ↑ "State of Missouri – Election Night Results". enrarchives.sos.mo.gov. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  27. ↑ Schmitt, Will. "Disabilities cost-saving campaign brings state treasurer to Springfield". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  28. ↑ "MO ABLE program designed to help people with disabilities save money". KOMU 8. March 15, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  29. ↑ Peters, Benjamin (October 4, 2018). "Treasurer Schmitt announces MO ABLE to Work Initiative during Disability Employment Awareness Month". The Missouri Times. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  30. ↑ "State treasurer launches transparency website". newstribune.com. August 22, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  31. ↑ "'Show-Me Checkbook' Aims to Improve Missouri's Financial Transparency". www.govtech.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  32. ↑ Shurr, Alisha (October 31, 2018). "State touts improved transparency through Show-Me Checkbook, Missouri Budget Explorer". The Missouri Times. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  33. ↑ Byrd, Ashley (December 26, 2017). "Missouri State Treasurer positioning himself as biggest tax cut proponent". Missourinet. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  34. ↑ Bergquist, The Associated Press & Garrett (July 12, 2018). "Missourians to see individual income tax cut under new law". KRCG. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  35. ↑ Peters, Benjamin (July 6, 2017). "State Treasurer Schmitt confirms tax cuts are coming to Missouri". The Missouri Times. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  36. ↑ "The Supreme Court could strike down Obamacare. Here's what's at stake". Missouri Independent. November 10, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  37. ↑ Suntrup, Jack (October 23, 2019). "After Democrat calls it 'pure politics' Missouri attorney general defends health care lawsuit". STLtoday.com. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  38. ↑ "Schmitt Reflects On First Year As Missouri Attorney General — And Charts Course For 2020". St. Louis Public Radio. December 30, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  39. ↑ "Missouri Attorney General Argues Lawmakers Can Refuse To Fund Medicaid Expansion". KCUR 89.3/NPR. June 9, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  40. 1 2 Jim Salter & Summer Ballentine, Missouri Supreme Court reverses Medicaid expansion decision, Associated Press (July 21, 2021).
  41. ↑ "Schmitt Lawsuit Challenges St. Louis Co. COVID Restrictions". Associated Press. 2021.
  42. ↑ Erickson, Kurt (June 3, 2021). "Missouri attorney general quietly withdraws COVID-19 lawsuit against St. Louis County". STLtoday.com. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  43. ↑ Currier, Joel (March 31, 2020). "Attorney general demands list of defendants released from St. Louis jails". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  44. ↑ "Mother of hit-and-run victim furious after suspect released from jail due to COVID-19 concerns". KMOV. April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  45. ↑ Byers, Christine (March 31, 2020). "Missouri AG concerned about inmates released due to COVID-19 concerns". KSDK. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  46. ↑ Ragsdale, Matt (March 25, 2020). "State attorney general orders Springfield-area man to stop price gouging for surgical masks". KMIZ. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  47. ↑ Six, Chris. "Attorney General issues "Cease and Desist" to Springfield mask salesman". OzarksFirst. Nexstar Broadcasting. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  48. ↑ "Missouri attorney general reviewing price gouging complaints". KTVI . Associated Press. March 30, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  49. ↑ Ladd, Jessica (March 30, 2020). "Attorney General Schmitt continues war on price gouging". KFVS. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  50. ↑ "Our view: State is right to go after price gouging and scams during pandemic". Joplin Globe. April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  51. ↑ Budryk, Zack (March 10, 2020). "Missouri AG sues Jim Bakker for coronavirus 'cure' claims". The Hill . Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  52. ↑ Schwartz, Matthew S. (March 12, 2020). "Missouri Sues Televangelist Jim Bakker For Selling Fake Coronavirus Cure". St. Louis Public Radio . Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  53. ↑ Axelrod, Tal (April 21, 2020). "Missouri becomes first state to sue China over coronavirus response". The Hill . Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  54. 1 2 "Judge throws out Missouri AG's COVID-19 suit against China". Associated Press. July 9, 2022.
  55. 1 2 3 Keller, Rudi (July 8, 2022). "Federal judge dismisses Missouri AG Eric Schmitt lawsuit blaming China for COVID-19". Missouri Independent .
  56. ↑ "Missouri attorney general sues to block mask mandates issued by public school districts". Kansas City Star . 2021.
  57. ↑ Blue Springs Restaurant That Defied County Mask Mandate Loses Bid To Stay Open, KCUR , Dan Margolies, September 23, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  58. ↑ "Missouri health department found mask mandates work, but didn't make findings public". STLPR. December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  59. ↑ Hickman, Joe (October 22, 2020). "Missouri receives additional $2 million grant to test backlogged rape kits". www.ky3.com. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  60. ↑ Ladd, Jessica (June 16, 2020). "More than 1,000 sexual assault kits sent off for testing since late 2019". KFVS-TV . Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  61. ↑ Missouri rape prosecution initiative tests over 2,000 backlogged evidence kits St. Louis Public Radio , Sarah Kellogg, October 7, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  62. ↑ Faust, Vic (January 9, 2020). "Missouri attorney general obtains guilty verdict in St. Louis murder case". Fox News. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  63. ↑ Clancy, Sam (January 8, 2020). "Man accused of killing Ethiopian refugee in Dutchtown store found guilty of murder, 5 other charges". KSDK. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  64. ↑ "Amicus Brief of Attorney General Eric Schmitt Supporting Dismissal Of The Case Against Mark McCloskey" (PDF). Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  65. ↑ "Amicus Brief of Attorney General Eric Schmitt Supporting Dismissal Of The Case Against Patricia McCloskey" (PDF). Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  66. ↑ Patrick, Kurt Erickson, Jack Suntrup, Robert (July 21, 2020). "Missouri attorney general defends intervention in McCloskey prosecution". STLtoday.com. Retrieved November 14, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  67. ↑ Aviv, Sari (July 18, 2021). "Why are wrongly-convicted people still imprisoned in Missouri?". CBS News. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  68. ↑ Kull, Katie (December 9, 2022). "No sanctions for St. Louis prosecutor after attorney general's accusation". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  69. ↑ Rosenbaum, Jason (February 14, 2023). "Judge frees Lamar Johnson after 28 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  70. 1 2 Martin, Luke X. (November 24, 2021). "County prosecutor accuses Missouri attorney general of malpractice for fighting Kevin Strickland's release". KCUR 89.3 - NPR in Kansas City. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  71. ↑ "Prosecutors: Missouri man wrongly convicted of triple murder". Associated Press . May 10, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  72. ↑ Nozicka, Luke (September 27, 2020). "Kevin Strickland is serving life for 1978 murders. The killers admitted their guilt, and served 20 years each. They and the sole witness said he's innocent". The Kansas City Star . Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  73. ↑ Connor, Tracy (May 10, 2021). "He's Been Jailed for 43 Years. Now Prosecutors Say He's Innocent". The Daily Beast . Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  74. ↑ "Missouri attorney general: Strickland is guilty of 3 murders". Associated Press . July 12, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  75. ↑ Martin, Luke X. (August 18, 2021). "How The Legal Battle In Missouri Over Kevin Strickland's Exoneration Became Political". KCUR-FM . Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  76. ↑ Rivas, Rebecca (January 24, 2023). "Missouri Supreme Court hears AG's opposition to prosecutor's jurisdiction in innocence claim". Missouri Independent. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  77. 1 2 David A. Lieb, Biden suits get mixed results for Missouri Senate candidate, Associated Press (October 26, 2022).
  78. ↑ Bacharier, Galen (January 7, 2022). "U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments from Missouri on vaccine mandates for health care workers". Springfield News-Leader . Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  79. 1 2 3 "GOP Missouri Attorney General Schmitt running for US Senate". ABC News. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  80. ↑ Malo, Sebastien (March 9, 2021). "14 Republican AGs say Biden can't use EO to restore social costs of greenhouse gas". Reuters. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  81. ↑ Siders, David (March 21, 2021). "Republican AGs take blowtorch to Biden agenda". POLITICO. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  82. ↑ Kuang, Jeanne; Bernard, Katie (March 8, 2021). "Missouri, Kansas AGs sue Biden administration to stop greenhouse gas regulations". Kansas City Star.
  83. ↑ "Kansas AG sues Biden administration over Keystone XL pipeline cancellation". KAKE/Associated Press. March 17, 2021.
  84. ↑ Lederman, Josh (March 17, 2021). "21 Republican-led states sue Biden over Keystone XL rejection".
  85. ↑ Hancock, Jason (September 8, 2023). "Court reduces restrictions on Biden administration contact with social media platforms". Missouri Independent. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  86. ↑ Hancock, Jason (June 26, 2024). "SCOTUS rejects suit alleging federal government bullied social media into censoring content". Missouri Independent. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  87. ↑ Kruesi, Kimberlee (July 26, 2022). "Republican attorneys general sue US agency over LGBTQ school guidance". STLtoday.com. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  88. ↑ Herrera, Brandon (June 16, 2023). "'Are we the bad guys?' Never-Before-Seen Emails Reveal the Scramble that Ensued when Missouri Sued to Block Student Debt Relief". Student Borrower Protection Center. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  89. ↑ Long, Colleen; White, Ed (December 8, 2020). "Trump thought courts were key to winning. Judges disagreed". Associated Press. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  90. ↑ Lowry, Bryan (December 11, 2020). "Missouri, Kansas sign onto lawsuit seeking to overturn presidential election". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  91. ↑ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election" . The New York Times . Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  92. ↑ "Schmitt withdraws First Amendment argument in lawsuit". Columbia Missourian. Associated Press. August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  93. ↑ Hancock, Jason (August 20, 2019). "Missouri AG Schmitt cites First Amendment to block release of public records". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  94. ↑ "Lawsuit over Missouri city's ticket quota settled". Associated Press. August 27, 2020.
  95. ↑ Driscoll, Jaclyn (September 9, 2019). "Schmitt Joins State Attorneys General Investigating Google". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  96. ↑ "Big Tech faces a new set of foes: nearly all 50 U.S. states". Missouri Lawyers Media. Associated Press. September 10, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  97. ↑ "GOP Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt running for U.S. Senate". PBS NewsHour. Associated Press. March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  98. ↑ Rosenbaum, Jason (March 24, 2021). "Attorney General Eric Schmitt Jumps Into Missouri U.S. Senate Race". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  99. ↑ Keller, Rudi (July 28, 2022). "After months of wavering, Schmitt comes out against McConnell days before Senate primary". Missouri Independent. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  100. ↑ Caputo, Marc (August 1, 2022). "Trump baffles GOP by endorsing 'Eric' in the Missouri Senate primary — a race with three Erics". NBC News . Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  101. ↑ Folmar, Chloe (August 1, 2022). "Trump endorsement of 'Eric' in Missouri triggers confusion". The Hill . Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  102. ↑ Isenstadt, Alex (August 2, 2022). "Inside the wild Bedminster lobbying spree that led to Trump's double Missouri endorsement". Politico . Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  103. ↑ "2022 Missouri Primary Election Results". PBS NewsHour. August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  104. ↑ @Eric_Schmitt (January 3, 2023). "Honored to be sworn into the U.S. Senate today and become the 2000th person to serve in that chamber" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  105. ↑ Folley, Aris (June 1, 2023). "Here are the senators who voted against the bill to raise the debt ceiling". The Hill . Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  106. ↑ "GOP Sen. Schmitt says Gabbard will 'curb the excesses' of the intelligence community: Full interview". NBC News. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  107. ↑ Wong, Josie (February 20, 2025). Eric Schmitt says Ukraine's Zelensky should 'stop lecturing Trump'. CNN. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  108. 1 2 O'Brien, Jay; Ibssa, Lalee; Murray, Isabella (February 19, 2025). "GOP senators walk fine line on Ukraine without bashing Trump's comments". ABC News. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  109. ↑ Dunlap, Bridgette (April 14, 2025). "Missouri Republicans do nothing as Trump steals our funds and tanks the economy". Missouri Independent. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  110. ↑ "Bill aims to make Easter Monday a federal holiday". First Alert 4. April 14, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  111. ↑ "Sen. Eric Schmitt". GovTrack . Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  112. ↑ Ryan, Monica; Manley, Emily (June 24, 2022). "AG Schmitt ends abortion in Missouri following SCOTUS ruling". Fox4. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  113. ↑ Lippmann, Rachel (November 19, 2019). "Schmitt Backs Dropping Residency Requirement For St. Louis Cops, Carjacking Law". St. Louis Public Radio. NPR. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  114. ↑ Erickson, Kurt (November 20, 2019). "Ending residency requirement for St. Louis cops gets support from state attorney general". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  115. ↑ Hauswirth, Brian (January 20, 2020). "Missouri Attorney General and St. Louis Police Chief backing officer residency bill (Audio)". Missourinet. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  116. ↑ Peoples, Steve (May 17, 2022). "GOP Senate candidates, including Missouri's Schmitt and Greitens, promote 'replacement' theory". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  117. ↑ Hancock, Jason (August 26, 2019). "Missouri attorney general says federal law doesn't ban LGBTQ+ discrimination". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  118. ↑ Suntrup, Jack (June 15, 2020). "Missouri attorney general on losing side of Supreme Court decision on LGBTQ+ rights". STLtoday.com. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  119. ↑ "Missouri attorney general backs high school football prayer". Associated Press. December 6, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  120. ↑ "NRA-pVF | Grades | Missouri". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022.
  121. ↑ "Eric Schmitt's Ratings and Endorsements".
  122. ↑ "State Senator – District 15 – Summary". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  123. ↑ "State Senator – District 15 – Summary". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  124. ↑ "State of Missouri – General Election, November 08, 2016". Missouri Secretary of State. December 12, 2016. Archived from the original on June 15, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  125. ↑ "All Results; Official Results". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
Missouri Senate
Preceded by Member of the Missouri Senate
from the 15th district
2009–2017		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Treasurer of Missouri
2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Republican nominee for Attorney General of Missouri
2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Missouri
(Class 3)
2022 		Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Treasurer of Missouri
2017–2019		Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of Missouri
2019–2023		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Missouri
2023–present
Served alongside: Josh Hawley 		Most recent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Order of precedence of the United States
as United States Senator		Succeeded by
Preceded by United States senators by seniority
84th		Succeeded by
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