Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt jumps into Senate race

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R) on Wednesday announced his bid to fill Sen. Roy Blunt’s (R) seat.

Schmitt, who has served as the state’s attorney general since 2019, officially announced his campaign on “Fox & Friends,” saying that the nation’s capital “needs more fighters.”

“Washington, D.C. needs more fighters, needs more reinforcements to save America, so after a lot of reflection, support from folks back home and on behalf of the people of the great state of Missouri, I’m announcing my candidacy for United States Senate,” Schmitt said.

Washington DC needs more fighters. Fighters who want to save America. That’s why I’m running for the United States Senate

I’m all in. #MOSen pic.twitter.com/5QN9JuCTAD

— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) March 24, 2021

When asked why he’s running and what his candidacy means for the Senate and for the GOP, Schmitt said he’s spent his time defending former President Trump’s “America First” agenda and the “prosperity” that came with it, including securing borders and striving for energy independence and “more opportunities for Americans.”

“I think you look around and increasingly it feels like our culture and our country is slipping away, and all the levers of power right now in Washington, D.C. are tilted towards the Democrats,” Schmitt added.

Schmitt went on to say that he’s now spending his time pushing back against President Biden as the former VP “tries to dismantle” what Trump had accomplished.

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) on Monday launched his candidacy for Blunt’s seat, almost three years after he resigned from the governorship following mounting scandals, including allegations that he photographed a woman nude without her consent in an attempt to hide an extramarital affair.

Other potential GOP candidates include Reps. Ann Wagner and Jason Smith. Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft both announced that they will not throw their hats in the ring for Blunt’s seat.

Blunt earlier this month unexpectedly announced that he would not run for reelection in 2022, becoming the fifth GOP senator to announce retirement ahead of the midterm elections.

The 2022 Senate elections are highly anticipated by both parties, as they will determine the Senate majority for the second half of Biden’s first term in office.