Josh Hawley

Josh Hawley
Born	Joshua David Hawley 31 12, 1979
Birthplace	Springdale, Arkansas, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, attorney
Known for	U.S. Senator from Missouri; objection to 2020 presidential election certification
Education	Stanford University (BA) Yale Law School (JD)
Children	3
Website	[joshhawley.com Official site]

Joshua David Hawley (born December 31, 1979) is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Missouri since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Hawley first entered public office as the 42nd Attorney General of Missouri, serving from 2017 to 2019 under Governors Eric Greitens and Mike Parson. In the 2018 Senate election, he defeated two-term Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill, and he was reelected in 2024. Born in Springdale, Arkansas, to a banker father and a teacher mother, Hawley built an early career that spanned elite legal education, federal clerkships at the highest levels of the judiciary, religious liberty litigation, and legal academia before entering electoral politics. His political positions have been characterized as populist and socially conservative, and he has drawn national attention for legislative efforts on topics ranging from technology regulation and antitrust enforcement to health care affordability. In December 2020, Hawley became the first senator to announce plans to object to the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 United States presidential election, a decision that placed him at the center of one of the most contentious episodes in modern American political history. In 2026, he attracted renewed attention for bipartisan legislative work with Senator Elizabeth Warren on health care policy, as well as for a break with Donald Trump over a war powers resolution related to Venezuela.

Early Life

Joshua David Hawley was born on December 31, 1979, in Springdale, Arkansas. His father worked as a banker and his mother was a teacher. Hawley grew up in the region before pursuing higher education at prestigious institutions on the East and West Coasts. Details about his childhood and formative years in Arkansas are limited in available public records, though his upbringing in the rural South and his parents' professional backgrounds have been cited as influences on his later political identity, which has emphasized populist economic themes and social conservatism.

Hawley's interest in law and public affairs developed early, and he went on to attend Stanford University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2002. He subsequently enrolled at Yale Law School, earning his Juris Doctor in 2006. His Ivy League legal education would prove instrumental in shaping his early career trajectory, which included some of the most prestigious clerkship positions in the federal judiciary.

Education

Hawley graduated from Stanford University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then attended Yale Law School, one of the top-ranked law schools in the United States, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2006. Following law school, Hawley secured clerkship positions with two prominent federal judges. He served as a law clerk to Judge Michael W. McConnell of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, a distinguished conservative jurist and legal scholar. Hawley then clerked for Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts at the Supreme Court of the United States, one of the most competitive and coveted positions available to young lawyers in the American legal system. These clerkships placed Hawley within elite conservative legal circles and provided him with direct exposure to constitutional jurisprudence at the highest level.

Career

Early Legal Career and Religious Liberty Advocacy

After completing his federal clerkships, Hawley entered private legal practice, working as an attorney from 2008 to 2011. In 2011, he joined the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a nonprofit public interest law firm that litigates cases involving religious freedom. At the Becket Fund, Hawley worked on cases that intersected religious liberty with broader constitutional questions, a focus that aligned with his conservative legal philosophy. He remained with the organization until 2015.

During this period, Hawley also pursued a career in legal academia. He served as an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Law, where he taught courses related to constitutional law and related subjects. Additionally, Hawley was a faculty member of the Blackstone Legal Fellowship, a program associated with the Alliance Defending Freedom, which trains law students in conservative legal principles and religious liberty advocacy. His academic and advocacy work established him as a figure within the conservative legal movement before he entered electoral politics.

Attorney General of Missouri (2017–2019)

Hawley ran for Attorney General of Missouri in 2016, drawing on his legal credentials and connections within conservative legal and religious liberty circles. He won the election and was inaugurated as the 42nd Attorney General of Missouri on January 9, 2017, succeeding Chris Koster. He served under Governors Eric Greitens and, following Greitens's resignation, Mike Parson.

As attorney general, Hawley initiated several high-profile legal actions. He joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act (ACA), arguing that the individual mandate's tax penalty had been effectively eliminated by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, thereby rendering the entire law unconstitutional. The lawsuit became one of the most significant legal challenges to the ACA during the Trump administration.

Hawley also launched an investigation into Governor Eric Greitens, a fellow Republican, in relation to Greitens's use of social media and a charitable organization. Hawley's office opened an inquiry into Greitens's social media accounts and his association with a veterans' charity, The Mission Continues. Greitens, who was facing multiple legal and political crises at the time, ultimately resigned from office in May 2018. Hawley's willingness to investigate a governor of his own party drew attention, though the political dynamics were complex, as Greitens's scandals were seen by some Republicans as a threat to the party's prospects in the 2018 elections.

Additionally, Hawley pursued lawsuits and investigations into companies associated with the opioid epidemic, joining broader national efforts by state attorneys general to hold pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors accountable for their role in the crisis.

2018 U.S. Senate Campaign

In 2017, Hawley announced his candidacy for the United States Senate, seeking the seat held by two-term Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill. His entry into the race attracted significant national interest, as Missouri was considered a key battleground state in the fight for control of the Senate. Hawley's candidacy was bolstered by his profile as attorney general and by the broader political environment in Missouri, which had been trending increasingly Republican at the federal level.

The 2018 campaign was closely watched. McCaskill, a well-known moderate Democrat, had won reelection in 2012 in a race that was significantly influenced by her Republican opponent's controversial remarks. Hawley positioned himself as a conservative aligned with President Donald Trump's agenda while also emphasizing his own record as attorney general. Hawley defeated McCaskill in the November 2018 general election and took office on January 3, 2019.

U.S. Senate (2019–present)

First Term

In the Senate, Hawley established a record that combined social conservatism with populist economic stances, particularly regarding the technology industry, antitrust policy, and trade. He became one of the most outspoken Republican critics of large technology companies, introducing legislation aimed at regulating Big Tech and addressing concerns about data privacy, censorship, and market dominance.

Hawley's political positions have been described as populist and socially conservative. He has broken with some elements of Republican orthodoxy on economic policy, expressing skepticism toward free trade agreements and corporate consolidation while maintaining conservative positions on social and cultural issues.

2020 Presidential Election Certification

In December 2020, Hawley became the first sitting senator to announce that he would object to the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 United States presidential election. His announcement preceded the events of January 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol. Hawley led efforts in the Senate to challenge the electoral vote certification, a move that drew significant criticism from Democrats, some Republicans, and media commentators, as well as praise from some conservative supporters. The decision became one of the defining moments of Hawley's political career and placed him at the center of national debates about the integrity of elections and the role of elected officials in the peaceful transfer of power.

Reelection in 2024

Hawley ran for reelection to the Senate in 2024 and won, securing a second six-year term representing Missouri. He continues to serve as the senior senator from the state, alongside junior senator Eric Schmitt, who succeeded him as attorney general before winning his own Senate seat.

Legislative Activity in 2025–2026

In early 2026, Hawley attracted attention for several legislative actions and political developments. He joined with Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren to pursue bipartisan legislation aimed at addressing health care costs, with the pair seeking to challenge consolidation in what they described as "Big Medicine." The collaboration was notable given the ideological distance between the two senators on most policy issues.

Hawley also broke with President Trump and the majority of Senate Republicans on a war powers resolution related to Venezuela. The resolution would have required the president to obtain congressional authorization before launching military operations in Venezuela. Hawley voted in favor of the resolution, citing his reading of the Constitution's requirements for congressional authorization of military action. "With regard to Venezuela, my read of the Constitution is that if the President feels the need to put boots on the ground there in the future," Hawley stated in explaining his vote. Trump publicly criticized Hawley and other Republican senators who voted for the resolution, writing that they "should never be elected to office again." The resolution was ultimately blocked by Senate Republicans.

In January 2026, Hawley made national headlines during a Senate hearing on abortion when he repeatedly questioned an obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Nisha Verma, about whether men can get pregnant, a line of questioning that became a flashpoint in ongoing cultural debates.

By early 2026, reporting indicated that Hawley had begun making moves suggestive of a potential presidential campaign in 2028, a development that reportedly strained his relationship with Trump and White House allies.

In February 2026, Hawley and fellow Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt expressed confidence that Missouri voters would approve Republican-backed ballot initiatives related to abortion restrictions and a new congressional map.

Personal Life

Hawley has three children. Details about his personal life beyond his immediate family are limited in publicly available sources. He resides in Missouri and maintains a public presence through his official Senate website and public appearances.

Recognition

Hawley's career has attracted significant media attention and political commentary. His election to the Senate at the age of 39 made him one of the youngest members of the chamber at the time of his swearing-in. His clerkship for Chief Justice John Roberts and his work at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty established his credentials within the conservative legal movement prior to his entry into electoral politics.

His decision to object to the certification of the 2020 presidential election results was one of the most scrutinized political actions by a senator in recent years, generating extensive coverage from national and international media outlets. The action brought Hawley both condemnation from critics who viewed it as undermining democratic processes and support from allies who saw it as a principled stand.

Hawley's bipartisan legislative efforts, including his collaboration with Senator Elizabeth Warren on health care policy in 2026, have been noted by commentators as examples of cross-party cooperation on economic populist themes. His willingness to break with his party on certain issues, such as the Venezuela war powers resolution, has also generated attention and, in some cases, direct criticism from party leadership and allies of President Trump.