John Ashcroft, Kit Bond, and Jim Talent have each served in the seat Schmitt is eyeing.
Three former Republican Missouri senators have endorsed GOP candidate Eric Schmitt in the Senate race against Independent John Wood and Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine.
John Ashcroft, Kit Bond, and Jim Talent have each served in the seat Schmitt is eyeing and in other prestigious political roles such as U.S. attorney general, governor of Missouri, and U.S. House member.
“Eric Schmitt continues his fight to uphold our Constitution and support the rule of law. He demonstrates this through his work that he understands the rights that God granted to us must be protected, and that our government is our shared duty to protect those rights,” said Ashcroft, who served as attorney general under George W. Bush. “Eric Schmitt will serve Missourians well in the U.S. Senate. He has my enthusiastic wholehearted support keeping this senate seat in conservative hands.”
Before representing Missouri in the Senate for one term from 1995 to 2001, Ashcroft was elected governor of the state twice, once in 1984, in what was then the largest Republican gubernatorial victory in Missouri history, and again in 1988. In 1983, as state attorney general, he was involved in Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood Association of Kansas City, Missouri Inc. v. Ashcroft, which upheld provisions of a state law that restricted abortion, specifically that which required parental consent for minors seeking abortion.
Bond cast Schmitt as a more competitive candidate than Wood, arguing that he has a better chance against Valentine. Before serving in the Senate from 1986 to 2004, Bond served as governor of Missouri from 1973 to 1977, becoming the youngest in the state’s history, and from 1981 to 1985, after which he was replaced by Ashcroft.
“Eric Schmitt will be a strong and consistent voice for the people of Missouri. A proven winner, Eric will keep Missouri’s U.S. Senate seat in Republicans hands, which is important to Missouri and to taking back the Senate in November. I am honored to endorse and support his campaign and will do everything I can to ensure he wins,” Bond said.
Talent testified to Schmitt’s strong moral compass, political record, and dedication to conservative principles in his statement.
“I’ve known Eric Schmitt for many years, and he is a man of character with the highest integrity and a deep faith in God. As attorney general, and throughout his public service, Eric Schmitt has been in the trenches fighting to protect our freedoms and liberties and delivering key wins on big issues,” Talent said. “Eric Schmitt is an effective, trusted conservative leader and he has a servant’s heart, and will serve Missourians well in the United States Senate.”
While he lost a bid for governor in 2000, Talent was a strong force in the Senate from 2002 to 2006, focusing on national security and foreign policy as a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services and as chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower.
Schmitt beat Eric Greitens in the Missouri GOP Senate primary after both accepted the vague endorsement of former president Trump, who broadcast his public support for “ERIC” without specifying which man.
In September of 2021, January 6 Committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney, a Republican senator who recently lost her primary for the GOP’s Wyoming Senate nomination, announced that Wood would serve as her attorney and also as the senior investigative counsel for the panel.
Wood launched a bid after submitting three boxes of what he said were 22,000 signatures petitioning for him to get on the November ballot. Only 10,000 valid signatures had to be collected to be listed alongside the other party candidates. Wood has until Monday to drop out of the race.