Eric Schmitt

Eric Schmitt
Born	Eric Stephen Schmitt 20 6, 1975
Birthplace	Bridgeton, Missouri, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Attorney, politician
Known for	U.S. Senator from Missouri, former Missouri Attorney General, former Missouri State Treasurer
Education	Truman State University (BA) Saint Louis University (JD)
Children	3

Eric Stephen Schmitt (born June 20, 1975) is an American attorney and Republican Party politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Missouri since January 2023. Before entering the Senate, Schmitt held a succession of state-level offices that traced an arc from local government through the Missouri legislature and into statewide executive roles: he served as an alderman in Glendale, Missouri, represented the 15th district in the Missouri Senate from 2009 to 2017, held the office of Missouri State Treasurer from 2017 to 2019, and served as the 43rd Missouri Attorney General from 2019 to 2023. A figure whose career has been shaped by both legislative accomplishment and legal confrontation, Schmitt gained national attention as attorney general for filing or joining lawsuits against the Affordable Care Act, challenging aspects of the 2020 presidential election, suing the government of China over the COVID-19 pandemic, and opposing mask mandates in Missouri schools. He won election to the U.S. Senate in 2022, defeating Democratic nominee Trudy Busch Valentine. In the Senate, Schmitt has aligned himself with national conservatism and currently serves as vice chair of the Joint Economic Committee.

Early Life

Eric Stephen Schmitt was born on June 20, 1975, in Bridgeton, Missouri, a city in St. Louis County. He grew up in the greater St. Louis metropolitan area. Public records indicate that Schmitt's early political engagement began at the local level, where he served as an alderman for the city of Glendale, Missouri, a small municipality in St. Louis County. This initial foray into public service provided Schmitt with experience in municipal governance before he pursued higher office at the state level.

Schmitt has spoken publicly about his family life, including the experience of raising a child with special needs. His son Stephen was born with a rare genetic condition, an experience that Schmitt has cited as influential in shaping his legislative priorities, particularly regarding disability policy and autism-related legislation during his tenure in the Missouri Senate.

Education

Schmitt attended Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He subsequently enrolled at Saint Louis University School of Law, where he obtained his Juris Doctor degree. After completing his legal education, Schmitt entered private legal practice. Prior to his full-time entry into politics, he was associated with the law firm Lathrop & Gage (now Lathrop GPM), where he practiced as an attorney.

Career

Missouri State Senate (2009–2017)

Schmitt was elected to represent the 15th district of the Missouri Senate in 2008, succeeding Michael R. Gibbons. He took office on January 7, 2009, and served two four-year terms, remaining in the state senate until January 4, 2017.

During his time in the Missouri Senate, Schmitt established himself as a legislator focused on tax reform, disability rights, and criminal justice issues. He sponsored legislation that enacted major reductions in the state income tax and franchise tax, measures that were consistent with the broader Republican agenda of reducing the tax burden on Missouri residents and businesses.

One of Schmitt's signature legislative achievements was his work on behalf of individuals with disabilities. He expanded benefits and tax exemptions for disabled citizens in Missouri and was a principal advocate for autism-related legislation. Missouri legislators, with Schmitt's involvement, achieved successive policy advances on autism insurance reform, culminating in bill signings that expanded coverage and services for individuals on the autism spectrum. This advocacy was widely noted as stemming in part from his personal experience as the father of a child with a rare genetic condition.

Schmitt also played a prominent role in the legislative response to the Ferguson unrest of 2014. Following the shooting of Michael Brown and the subsequent protests and national scrutiny of policing practices in the St. Louis area, Schmitt led a bipartisan effort to reform municipal court practices. The resulting legislation eliminated traffic ticket quotas for law enforcement and placed limits on the amount of revenue that municipalities could derive from non-traffic fines. These reforms were seen as addressing systemic issues in the way small municipalities in the St. Louis region funded their operations through aggressive ticketing and fining practices, which had drawn widespread criticism.

Missouri State Treasurer (2017–2019)

In 2016, Schmitt announced his candidacy for Missouri State Treasurer. He won the Republican primary and subsequently the general election, becoming the 46th State Treasurer of Missouri. He was inaugurated on January 9, 2017, and served under Governors Eric Greitens and Mike Parson.

Schmitt's tenure as state treasurer was relatively brief, lasting approximately two years. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing the state's finances, managing investments, and administering programs such as the Missouri ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts, which provide tax-advantaged savings for individuals with disabilities—a policy area consistent with his legislative focus in the state senate.

Missouri Attorney General (2019–2023)

On January 3, 2019, Governor Mike Parson appointed Schmitt to serve as the 43rd Missouri Attorney General, succeeding Josh Hawley, who had been elected to the United States Senate. Schmitt was elected to a full four-year term as attorney general in 2020.

Affordable Care Act Litigation

As attorney general, Schmitt filed or joined lawsuits seeking to invalidate the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aligning Missouri with a coalition of Republican-led states that challenged the constitutionality of the federal healthcare law. This was part of a broader nationwide legal strategy pursued by Republican attorneys general during the Trump and Biden administrations.

2020 Election Challenges

Following the 2020 United States presidential election, Schmitt joined Missouri in the lawsuit Texas v. Pennsylvania, in which the state of Texas sought to challenge the election results in several swing states. The lawsuit, which was filed at the U.S. Supreme Court, was ultimately rejected by the court for lack of standing. Schmitt's participation in the case drew both support from Republicans who questioned the election's outcome and criticism from those who viewed the litigation as an attempt to overturn legitimate election results.

COVID-19 Related Lawsuits

Schmitt's tenure as attorney general was marked by extensive litigation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. He sued school districts and municipalities in Missouri that had implemented mask requirements, arguing that such mandates exceeded the authority of local officials. Schmitt also filed a lawsuit against the government of China and the Chinese Communist Party, alleging their responsibility in the origin and spread of the pandemic. The lawsuit against China was among the first of its kind filed by a state attorney general and generated significant national media attention, though legal experts noted the significant jurisdictional and sovereign immunity obstacles such a case would face.

In a separate matter, Schmitt withdrew a First Amendment argument in one of his lawsuits, a development reported by the Columbia Missourian.

Opposition to Biden Administration

During his time as attorney general, Schmitt filed or joined lawsuits on at least 25 occasions to oppose policies of the Joe Biden administration. These legal challenges covered a range of federal policies and regulations, positioning Schmitt as one of the most litigious Republican attorneys general against the Biden White House.

Criminal Prosecution

In addition to the politically charged litigation that characterized much of his tenure, Schmitt's office also pursued criminal cases. In January 2020, the Missouri Attorney General's office obtained a guilty verdict in a St. Louis murder case.

Antitrust and Technology Investigations

Schmitt joined a coalition of state attorneys general in investigating Google for potential antitrust violations, part of a broader multistate effort to scrutinize the market practices of major technology companies.

U.S. Senate (2023–present)

2022 Election

In 2022, Schmitt entered the race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Roy Blunt. He won the Republican primary and went on to defeat Democratic nominee Trudy Busch Valentine in the general election. Schmitt took office on January 3, 2023, succeeding Blunt. He serves alongside Missouri's senior senator, Josh Hawley, who had been Schmitt's predecessor as attorney general.

Committee Assignments and Leadership

Schmitt serves as vice chair of the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, a position he assumed on January 3, 2025. In this role, he succeeded Representative David Schweikert of Arizona.

Legislative and Policy Priorities

As a senator, Schmitt has aligned himself with the national conservatism movement. He was a speaker at the 2025 National Conservatism Conference, an event that brings together proponents of a political philosophy that emphasizes national sovereignty, immigration restriction, and skepticism of globalization.

In February 2026, Schmitt pushed a federal plan to reshape college athletics amid ongoing changes related to name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, the transfer portal, and conference realignment. The proposal sought to establish a federal framework for governing the rapidly evolving landscape of collegiate sports.

Schmitt has also been active on defense and military issues related to Missouri. In February 2026, he joined Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at Boeing's St. Louis facility for an "Arsenal of Freedom Tour," during which Boeing announced it would move its defense headquarters back to St. Louis.

On judicial nominations, Schmitt expressed support for President Donald Trump's nomination of Justin Smith to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In February 2026, Schmitt and Hawley publicly stated their belief that Missouri voters would approve Republican-backed ballot issues related to abortion restrictions and a new congressional redistricting map.

On trade policy, Schmitt commented on a February 2026 Supreme Court decision regarding presidential tariff authority, calling the decision "wrongly decided" and supporting the Trump administration's pivot to invoking Nixon-era trade legislation as an alternative legal basis for tariffs.

Controversies

In September 2025, Schmitt drew significant criticism for remarks made during a public speech in which he characterized true Americans as "the sons and daughters of the Christian pilgrims that poured out from Europe's shores." The Missouri Independent reported that the speech constituted an open promotion of white supremacist themes. The remarks were subsequently the subject of further reporting by Mother Jones, which published an October 2025 article describing Schmitt as pushing "a tribalistic ideology suggesting only descendants of white Christian pioneers are true Americans." These reports generated widespread criticism from civil rights organizations and political opponents, while some conservative commentators defended Schmitt's remarks as reflecting a legitimate perspective on American heritage and identity.

Personal Life

Schmitt was born and raised in the St. Louis metropolitan area. He has three children. His son Stephen was born with a rare genetic condition, which Schmitt has publicly discussed as a motivating factor behind his legislative work on disability rights and autism-related policy during his time in the Missouri Senate.

Before entering full-time public service, Schmitt practiced law at the firm Lathrop & Gage (now Lathrop GPM) in the St. Louis area.