Congressman Jason Smith, a potential candidate to take over Roy Blunt’s seat in the Senate, is hosting a fundraiser at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home later this month along with other prominent Republicans, including Gov. Mike Parson.
The Palm Beach, Florida, invitation lists Parson and the first lady, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson, Florida Congressman Brian Mast, New York Congressman Lee Zeldin, and former Georgia Congressman Doug Collins as the honorary host committee. The reception is slated for April 30.
Smith, 40, represents Missouri’s 8th congressional district and has been rumored to be eyeing a run to replace Blunt in the Senate. He was first elected to the district in 2013 and serves as the ranking member on the House Budget Committee.
Prior to his tenure in Congress, Smith was a member of the Missouri Legislature where he was the Speaker Pro Tem.
Should Smith seek the Senate seat, he is expected to be a good choice to garner Trump’s endorsement. He’s a staunch ally of the former president and even stood in his corner during a contentious debate held in St. Louis against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Attorney General Eric Schmitt and former Gov. Eric Greitens have already announced their candidacies for the Senate seat — and both Republicans have harped on their ties to Trump. The scandal-ridden Greitens has sought to paint himself as unfairly maligned by Democrats and the media, a comparison to Trump; Schmitt has touted his defense of Trump’s agenda as attorney general.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
