Missouri’s Schmitt takes oath in Senate, as chaos in the House kicks off new Congress

With his left hand holding a large white Bible and his right hand raised in the air, Sen. Eric Schmitt took the oath of office on Tuesday, officially becoming the junior U.S. Senator from Missouri.

“I’m excited,” Schmitt said, walking into the Senate chamber.

In a press release sent out later in the day, Schmitt said he was “humbled and honored” to represent Missouri in the Senate.

“I will continue to serve as a champion for all Missourians, to fight for the farmers, the small business owners, and Missouri parents and families, and will continue to push back on government intrusion and overreach at every step,” he said. “This is a new day, and I’m excited for what comes next.”

The beginning of Schmitt’s six-year term marks a new generation leading Missouri’s delegation in the U.S. Senate. Both Schmitt and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley are younger than 50 — they are 47 and 43, respectively.

Hawley has positioned himself as a conservative firebrand in the Senate, someone who has openly opposed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and has attempted to serve as a roadblock for President Joe Biden’s nominees to the judiciary and various executive office branches.

It still remains to be seen whether Schmitt, who built a statewide reputation filing lawsuits attempting to block the Biden administration’s policies, will legislate like Hawley or like former Sen. Roy Blunt, who was known as an important dealmaker in Washington and was elected to party leadership in both the House and the Senate.

“Congratulations to Eric Schmitt on his swearing-in today,” Hawley said in a press release. “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 was not on the Senate floor to watch Schmitt get sworn in. Blunt stood behind Schmitt as he took his oath of office.

The traditional ritual in the Senate struck a sharp contrast with the House, where the new Republican majority engaged in a struggle over who should be the next Speaker of the House.

The majority of Republicans — including all of the Republican members of the Missouri and Kansas delegations — are in favor of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican who served as Minority Leader for the past four years. But a group of conservative Republicans refused to support McCarthy’s bid and he failed to win the speakership on the first ballot.

Rep. Jake LaTurner, a Kansas Republican, said he believed McCarthy would become speaker.

“I think he’s gonna win,” LaTurner said. “It’s just gonna take time.”

Freshman Missouri Republicans Mark Alford from the 4th Congressional District and Eric Burlison from the 7th Congressional District both joined the more senior Republicans in the Missouri delegation in backing McCarthy on the first ballot, but 19 Republicans from other states opposed him.

After holding three votes — the first time there has been more than one vote to pick a speaker since 1923 — McCarthy still had not secured the votes necessary to win the speaker’s gavel. In the third vote, the ultraconservative wing of the House had coalesced around Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and picked up a 20th vote opposing McCarthy despite Jordan’s support for McCarthy.

“We’re staying in ‘till we win,” McCarthy said, just before the third vote.

A former television anchor at Fox4, Alford compared the multiple votes to working a telethon.

“This is nothing compared to a telethon,” Alford said. “I’m prepared to sleep here on the House floor if I have to.”

The House adjourned after the third failed speaker vote and will return at noon on Wednesday. Alford declined to speculate on what he believed would happen if McCarthy wasn’t able to secure the necessary votes to become speaker, saying McCarthy has “bent over backward” to find consensus.

“This is a healthy discussion,” Alford said. “I think what you saw today was a healthy exercise on the floor of the U.S. House.”

Alford and Burlison won’t officially be sworn in until after the speakership votes conclude.

Democrats appeared to relish the dysfunction among the narrow Republican majority. At least two members tweeted out pictures of them holding popcorn.