Schmitt keeps Missouri Senate seat in GOP hands

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R) is projected to win the state’s Senate seat, defeating Democratic challenger Trudy Busch Valentine. 

The Associated Press called the race at 10:12 p.m. ET.

Schmitt, who will replace retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R), cruised to a win after defeating former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens in the Republican primary.

Greitens, who resigned as Missouri’s governor in 2018 amid scandal, was the front-runner for the majority of the year, giving the GOP establishment heartburn that nominating him could put an otherwise safe seat at risk, until Schmitt gained ground in the final weeks of the primary. 

Schmitt announced his campaign in March. He said he was running because “Washington, D.C., needs more fighters.”