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Who is Senator Curtis Trent?

At a time when soundbites and spectacle define politics, Senator Curtis Trent operates with a different objective—one rooted in governance over grandstanding.

The last few years in the Missouri Senate have seen much attention paid to those who can speak the loudest.  This is not shocking as in politics, the loudest personalities are often given the lion’s share of the attention by the media, the public, and others. National politics has a long history of these sorts of figures and Missouri politics, of course, is no different and the Missouri Senate has had its share of larger-than-life personalities.

There are those, however, who do not seek the limelight. Those who tend to be policy-minded and more concerned with the mission to enact meaningful reform. Those who would rather than enhance their public ID with grandiose speeches or controversial statements, are happier to keep their eye on the job of governance. One senator in particular is keen on doing such a task.

Trent is one of those.

He came up the hard way, born and raised on a small farm in Douglas County, near Ava, Missouri. His family had a few cattle, a small garden, and, as he puts it, “the main crop was rock.” His father fixed refrigerators, his mother ran the books, and together they made things work.

“I guess we were probably pretty poor, but we didn’t know it,” Trent says. “We always had plenty to eat, and when you’re a kid, you don’t think about things like how the car is ten years old.”

His upbringing was steeped in faith. Every week, they went to the Church of Christ, and he still attends today. When he wasn’t working the farm or helping with the family business, he enjoyed reading.

“There wasn’t a lot to do for fun living out in the countryside, but the local library let you check out eight books a week. I always tried to finish them all before the next week,” he recalls. A love of reading and literature would eventually help shape his views on politics, economics, and philosophy.

While at Ava High School, Trent participated in speech, debate, and drama which would help to shape his skills in politics later on. Coincidentally, former State Senator Karla Eslinger, now Commissioner of DESE, served as the Superintendent for Ava when Trent attended High School.

After high school, he became the first in his family to graduate college, earning a political science degree from Missouri State with a history minor. But law school was calling.

St. Louis University was where he found his real passion: Constitutional law, especially free speech. About the same time he was finishing his education, a local businessman named Billy Long was running for Congress. Trent sent an email offering to volunteer. Next thing he knew, he was Long’s first full-time campaign staffer.

When Long won, Trent followed him to D.C. as his Deputy Chief of Staff, working on Missouri-centric issues and assisting with the Congressman’s work on the Energy and Commerce Committee. But Trent never planned to stay in Washington.

“I knew I didn’t want to stay in DC forever,” Trent said. “So I started looking for jobs practicing law back in Missouri and eventually found one dealing with Social Security Disability.”

He enjoyed practicing law and helping people with their legal problems, but he couldn’t resist the opportunity to return to public service. When the 133rd House District opened up due to term limits, he saw his shot. He won the seat in 2016.

“Being a state representative seemed like something that would fit the skills I had already developed,” Trent explains. “I had seen how government worked, or in most cases how it didn’t work, and thought I could provide a unique view on what the state can do to avoid making the same mistakes as the federal government.”

Trent served six years in the House when Senate District 20 opened up. He threw his hat in the ring and won the two-way primary and would go on to again replace Eric Burlison, who had chosen to run for Congress.

If you were to watch Senator Trent from the gallery, you would think he had been in the Senate for much longer than just two years. Putting aside his ability to put complex policy issues into something even a middle school student could understand, Senator Trent seems to be well-adjusted to the Senate’s style of deliberation and its process. While many former House members seem to have a difficult time adjusting to the debate, process, and customs of the Senate, Trent acts as if this were all second nature to him.

Three years in, Trent has already passed three bills and five amendments. In a legislature where gridlock is the norm, he’s moving pieces across the board.

When asked if he had a piece of legislation he would like to see pass during his career, he stated “Repealing the income tax is one of the long-term goals I’d like to see get done. I think few things can change the trajectory of the state more than that because it unlocks the potential of the individual. If you tax something you get less of it and if you tax people’s productivity, their income, then you are going to get less productivity.”

Trent has the potential to go much further than the Missouri State Senate. By the end of his first term, he will be one of the most successful Senators in state government and if granted a second term, well then the sky’s the limit.

He doesn’t have to be the loudest guy in the room when his actions speak volumes. If you’re watching Missouri politics in 2025 and 2026, keep an eye on Senator Curtis Trent.