Eric Schmitt is the junior United States Senator from Missouri, having served in the Senate since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was born in Belleville, Illinois, in 1975 and is a graduate of Truman State University and Saint Louis University School of Law. He served in the Missouri State Senate, as Missouri State Treasurer, and then as Missouri Attorney General from 2019 to 2023 before winning his U.S. Senate race in 2022.
As Missouri Attorney General, Schmitt was known for his aggressive use of litigation against the Biden administration and the federal government, including leading a multi-state lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act and filing suit over COVID-19 vaccine mandates. In the Senate, he has continued in that confrontational posture, serving on the Armed Services and Judiciary Committees. He is a vocal critic of government overreach and a frequent ally of former President Donald Trump.