MISSOURI, USA — Eric Schmitt was sworn into office Tuesday as Missouri’s newest United States senator, serving the Show-Me State for the 118th Congress.
Schmitt took an oath of office from Vice President Kamala Harris and replaced retiring Senator Roy Blunt, who was also at Tuesday’s ceremony.
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley released a statement Tuesday morning that said:
“Congratulations to Eric Schmitt on his swearing-in today. He’s going to be a terrific Senator. I can’t wait to serve with him in the new Congress and fight for the people of Missouri,” Hawley said.
In a tweet, Schmitt said he is the 2,000th person to serve in the Senate Chambers. He was Missouri's attorney general before being elected to the Senate.
New Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey was also sworn in Tuesday after Gov. Mike Parson appointed him to take over the post for the departing Schmitt.
As attorney general, Schmitt leveraged the powers of his state office to generate earned media buzz in his ongoing effort to score points with the pro-Trump wing of the Republican primary voter base.
Schmitt’s made-for-TV lawsuits filed against school districts, the country of China, and local Missouri governments were widely scorned by the legal community and were unsuccessful in court, but they may have gone a long way toward earning him regular appearances on Tucker Carlson’s show on the Fox News Channel.
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