Attorney General Eric Schmitt released his first campaign ad for the 2022 U.S. Senate race Monday, promising to continue former President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.
“President Trump built the strongest economy our country has ever seen. And I am going to fight to bring it back,” Schmitt said in the two-minute spot. “My conservative values run deep. I am a sixth-generation Missourian and a proud pro-life father of three. I am a strong defender of your Second Amendment rights. I am tough on illegal immigration, and I believe that government should be limited, spending should be constrained, and taxes should be low.”
Schmitt officially entered the 2022 U.S. Senate race to replace retiring Senator Roy Blunt last week. In announcing his candidacy on Fox News, Schmitt touted his efforts in office to defend Trump’s policies during the fledgling Biden administration as Missouri’s attorney general.
In his ad, Schmitt said he is running for the seat to “fight for Missouri and defeat socialism.” He said just two months into the new administration, “we can already feel our culture and our country slipping away.”
Schmitt has deftly risen through the ranks of Missouri politics, from alderman to state senator to state treasurer. After Josh Hawley was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018, Gov. Mike Parson appointed him attorney general. Schmitt handily defeated his Democratic opponent in November to remain in office.
Former Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned from office in 2018 amid sexual assault and campaign finance violation allegations, has also thrown his hat into the ring. Greitens has touted endorsements from some former Trump officials, including attorney Rudy Giuliani and former advisor Steve Cortes.
Democratic candidate Lucas Kunce released an ad earlier this month highlighting the economic and health hardships his family faced as he grew up in Jefferson City. It also touts his work with a nonprofit and his military experience.
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.
