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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced his candidacy to replace Senator Roy Blunt who will not be seeking another term.

“Washington D.C. needs more fighters, needs more reinforcements to save America,” Schmitt said.

Schmitt appeared on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning to announce his run. He joins former Governor Eric Greitens in the race for the Republican nomination

“Increasingly, it feels like our culture and our country is slipping away,” Schmitt said. “All the levers of power in Washington D.C. are tilted towards the Democrats.”

Schmitt added that he has spent his time as attorney general defending former President Donald Trump and the America First agenda.

“Now, I’m spending my time pushing back against Joe Biden as he tries to dismantle that in, really, a betrayal of the American worker,” Schmitt said.

After Senator Josh Hawley was elected to the U.S. Senate, Schmitt was appointed as attorney general by Governor Mike Parson in 2019. Prior to that, he was the state treasurer from 2017 to 2019.