Schmitt defeats Busch Valentine to win Senate seat
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMIZ)
Republican candidate for U.S. Senate and current Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the election for U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
Schmitt beat out Democrat candidate Trudy Busch Valentine to become the next junior senator in Washington, D.C. He will join Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) who was also attorney general before being elected.
The race was called by the Associated Press at 9:15 p.m. Schmitt took the stage at his St. Louis watch party shortly after to give a victory speech.
In his speech, Schmitt vowed to "shake up" Washington. He echoed his campaign promises to fight for Missourians against the Biden administration, Democrat policies and federal mandates.
Supporter Peggy Ward with Parents for Schmitt said she feels comforted by the way Schmitt protects her rights.
"We, Parents for Schmitt, do not want the government telling us what to do with our children," Ward said. "It is our job to teach them values, it is our job to give them our direction and teach them what life is about."
Supporter Kay Hoflander said she believes Schmitt will be a fighter in Washington.
"I think there are just basic things they are concerned about, food and fuel, gas and groceries," Hoflander said. "The rising cost of everything. Inflation."
Schmitt made last-minute campaign stops Monday, the day before polls closed in the turbulent midterm election. Monday's stops included Columbia to meet with the Boone County Republican Party.
Schmitt has received criticism even before getting the Republican nomination that he was using his state office to campaign for Senate. One of Schmitt's more publicized moves as attorney general was fighting mask mandates in public school districts, including a court battle with Columbia Public Schools.
During his campaign, Schmitt has taken an anti-Biden administration stance. He told supporters in Columbia, "if you like Joe Biden, you'll love Trudy Busch Valentine."
Schmitt holds a commanding lead in the polls in Missouri, a state former president Donald Trump won by a wide margin in 2020.
