Missouri AG Eric Schmitt launches U.S. Senate bid, sets up primary fight with Greitens
For the second time in three days, a Missouri Republican went on Fox News to launch a bid for U.S. Senate.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt formally declared his widely anticipated candidacy Wednesday on Fox & Friends, known as the favorite morning show of former President Donald Trump.
It sets up a GOP primary match-up between Schmitt, the state’s top law enforcement official, and former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned from office three years ago in the face of multiple scandals. They are seeking to replace the retiring Republican Sen. Roy Blunt.
It’s no accident that both men chose the conservative news channel as the platform to announce their candidacies. Trump is an avid cable news watcher whose endorsement could determine the GOP nominee in the Republican-leaning state.
Both hopefuls made direct appeals to the former president and described themselves as fighters. Schmitt said President Joe Biden was dismantling Trump’s agenda and he framed his candidacy as a way to restore it.
“Washington, D.C. needs more fighters, needs more reinforcements to save America. So, after a lot of reflection, support from folks back home, and on behalf of the people of the great state of Missouri, I’m announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate,” Schmitt said.
Schmitt was one of the Republican state attorneys general most heavily involved in the failed effort to contest the 2020 presidential election, organizing an amicus brief in support of Texas’ lawsuit against swing states that went for Biden.
He has also signed onto early lawsuits against the administration, including a court challenge last week to Biden’s cancellation of the Keystone Pipeline.
Schmitt invoked Trump’s name multiple times in a statement released by his campaign minutes after the interview. He referred to Trump as “President Trump” but noticeably did not use the title when speaking about Biden, the current president.
“I fought alongside President Trump in defending election integrity, championing pro-growth economic policy, protecting our energy independence and standing up to radical prosecutors who have allowed violent crime to rule our cities,” Schmitt said, referencing his unsuccessful efforts to gain the power to intervene in in St. Louis murder cases.
“As Attorney General, I’ve already sued the Biden administration and I’m going to keep suing Joe Biden to protect all Missourians when necessary.”
Hours after his Fox News appearance, Schmitt’s office announced it had joined an additional lawsuit against the Biden administration in response to president’s decision to impose a moratorium on new oil and gas leasing and drilling permits on federal lands.
Schmitt, 45, was elected state treasurer in 2016. He was appointed attorney general in 2019 by Gov. Mike Parson after fellow Republican Josh Hawley’s election to the U.S. Senate. He was elected to a full term as an attorney general in November.
Prior to his statewide positions, Schmitt served on the Glendale City Council and in the Missouri Senate.
Schmitt is scheduled to meet this week with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a source familiar with the plans confirmed. The meeting is a sign that national Republicans consider him a serious contender.
As attorney general, Schmitt has remained committed to a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act, first joined by Hawley, even after the state’s voters approved Medicaid expansion in August, something the ACA makes possible.
He also filed a lawsuit last year against the Chinese government related to its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The case, which was filed 11 months ago, has not moved forward as China has refused service of the complaint.
Attorneys general often generate headlines by the nature of their office, said Chuck Hatfield, a Jefferson City-based attorney who served as chief of staff for Democrat Jay Nixon during his tenure as attorney general.
But some of the cases pursued by Schmitt have had questionable legal merit, Hatfield contended.
“You’re suing the Chinese Communist party in Cape Girardeau, Missouri? What do they have a field office down there?” Hatfield said, noting that the only way for the suit to move forward is if China agrees to be sued.
Hatfield, who specializes in election law, was highly critical of Schmitt’s decision to become involved in the efforts to overturn the election results in other states.
“I’m sure Attorney General Eric Schmitt would not want California suing us over our laws. I thought it was very aggressive by him and it really pushed the boundaries of reasonable political dialogue,” he said.
The timing of Schmitt’s Senate announcement — just two days after Greitens’ — suggests he is seeking to consolidate support as an alternative to the former governor. Other high-profile Republicans, including multiple members of the congressional delegation, are also contemplating runs.
A source close to Schmitt said Greitens’ announcement did not affect his timeline.
Schmitt’s news release mentions his wife, Jaime, and their three children, a signal that he may seek to highlight his family life during the campaign against the former governor.
Jean Evans, a former executive director of the Missouri Republican Party who has been critical of Greitens, said Schmitt is a “quality human being” with good moral character.
“I think he is immediately the front-runner if it’s him against Eric Greitens because one, who he is, and two, people believe that he can win the general election,” Evans said.
Greitens has denied allegations of sexual blackmail and violence, but a GOP-led committee found the testimony of his alleged victim credible and the Missouri House had launched impeachment proceedings prior to his resignation in 2018.
After Schmitt announced his candidacy, Greitens took to Twitter to reassert his loyalty to the former president.
“I am proud to be a champion of President Trump and his America First Policies that have brought broad based prosperity to the people of Missouri,” Greitens said on Twitter, posting a clip of a Fox News interview.
State Sen. Eric Burlison, a Battlefield Republican, said invoking Trump will help the candidates, but he said GOP voters want more proof they are not “Republicans who are just running to be Democrat Lite.”
Burlison contended that Blunt, who had a reputation as a pragmatic deal-maker, served in a different era.
“We need someone that is not going to be timid, someone who is both a social and fiscal conservative because our country is being drug by the east coast and west coast and the values of the Midwest is threatened,” he said.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who is weighing a run as a Democrat, poked fun at how the Republican primary was playing out entirely on cable news.
“I guess look out it if I’m on Fox News anytime soon,” he said on Twitter after Schmitt’s announcement.
Lucas, who has called Greitens unfit for office, contrasted the former governor against the attorney general.
“I have strong disagreements with Eric Schmitt’s political actions and the lawsuits he’s brought (China, election overturn, etc.), but he is a good man, father, and husband at his core. I wish him well in the Republican primary. I hope me saying that doesn’t hurt him,” Lucas said.
The Star’s Jonathan Shorman, Jeanne Kuang and Steve Vockrodt contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 8:55 AM with the headline "Missouri AG Eric Schmitt launches U.S. Senate bid, sets up primary fight with Greitens."
