Who is Eric Schmitt?

Eric Stephen Schmitt is an American politician and lawyer who has served as the Attorney General of Missouri since 2019. He is a registered Republican. He announced his candidacy for the position of the U.S. Senator from Missouri in 2021. 

Born on June 20, 1975 in Bridgeton, Missouri before attending Truman State University in 1997 where he graduated with a degree in political science. He attended the Saint Louis University School of Law on a scholarship, graduating and passing the bar exam in 2000. He began his career at Lathrop & Gage, LLP and worked there until 2008, the year he first forayed into politics. 

Schmitt was elected to the Missouri Senate in November 2008, representing the state’s 15th district. He ran unopposed for his reelections in 2012. He was part of the Senate up till 2016 as the position was term-limited. Instead he ran for the position of Missouri State Treasurer and ran unopposed in the Republican primary and then beat out Democrat Judy Baker and Libertarian Sean O’Toole in the general election. 

Between 2017 and 2019, as the Missouri State Treasurer he created an investment plan to help parents direct funds towards a college savings setup. He also created a website which displayed all data related to spending, payroll, debt obligations to the public. 

In 2019 he was appointed as the AG of Missouri by Governor Mike Parson. During his time as the AG, he has filed numerous lawsuits, including one against the Affordable Healthcare Act after Republican lawmakers refused to implement the legislation despite it passing muster from Missouri voters. Similarly, he has sued the Biden administration after it revoked permissions for the Keystone XL Pipeline.

The U.S. primaries for Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri, and Washington are set to be held on August 2, 2022. The mid-term elections are slated for November 8.