Although Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate this week, he now faces a formidable foe in November.
Schmitt is not only opposed by Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine but also Independent outlier John Wood who navigated his way onto the ballot with more than enough signatures.
“We’re very pleased with the support we've been getting so far, we've collected over 22,000 signatures to get me on the ballot,” Wood told the St. Louis Record. “We're very happy with the reception we got from Missouri voters on that.”
Schmitt and family
| ago.mo.gov
Wood, a former attorney for the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, pro-Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol, was tapped to run as an Independent by former U.S. Sen. John Danforth (R).
“We’re focusing on the vast majority of Missouri voters who don't want the divisiveness and the extreme that they're seeing from Eric Schmidt and his blow torch ads,” Wood said.
Schmitt, who did not respond to requests for comment, captured 44% of the Republican vote with 217,743 votes compared to 20% or 96,847 for Eric Greitens (R) and 23% or 115,410 for Vicky Hartzler (R).
Other GOP contenders included U.S. Rep. Billy Long who secured 4.8% of the district’s vote and Mark McCloskey with just 3% of the vote. Valentine garnered 43.2% of the district’s Democratic vote.
“I’m proud of my working-class roots, and I’m going to Washington to fight for working families, defeating socialism, and leading the fight to save America,” Schmitt stated during his victory speech on Aug. 2.
As of July 13, Schmitt had $1,020,457 in cash on hand compared to Valentine who had just $698,246.69 in cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data.
“Fundraising has been going pretty well,” Wood said. “It takes a lot of time, but I've been very pleased with the support we're getting.”
Wood’s financial reporting is expected to appear in the FEC’s September records release.
“Nothing about the outcome of the primary changes my message, which is to appeal to mainstream voters in Missouri, who want somebody who's right of center but within the mainstream and can help unite us and heal our country,” he said.
Candidates are seeking the seat of outgoing Republican Sen. Roy Blunt.