Schmitt defeats Busch beer heir in Missouri U.S. Senate race

By JIM SALTER

O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has won election to the U.S. Senate. He defeated Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine and kept what’s considered a safe Republican seat in GOP hands as the party fought for control of the Senate. Schmitt will take the seat occupied for the past 12 years by Republican Roy Blunt, who announced in March 2021 he would not seek a third term — ending a half-century career in politics. Missouri was once a swing state but has moved decidedly to the right over the past decade. Valentine had plenty of money to spend — she’s the daughter of the late longtime Anheuser-Busch chairman, August Busch Jr. But she lacked name recognition and her campaign never gained momentum.