ST. LOUIS– Missouri will continue to be represented by two Republicans in the U.S. Senate, as voters Tuesday elected state Attorney General Eric Schmitt to join Sen. Josh Hawley in Washington.

Schmitt’s win over Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine was projected by the Associated Press. He’ll succeed Roy Blunt, who decided against a re-election bid in 2022 after serving two terms.

The general election race was largely conducted over social media and the airwaves, as neither of the two major campaigns agreed on a single televised debate. Busch Valentine attended a Missouri Press Association candidate forum that Schmitt skipped. Schmitt hammered at Busch Valentine’s wealth as an heir to the Anheuser Busch fortune, saying he didn’t come from billions, he came from Bridgeton, a working-class, north St. Louis County suburb. Schmitt stayed off the public campaign trail for most of the general election and devoted most of his media interviews to conservative cable or streaming outlets.

Schmitt won a crowded primary over a field of candidates that included former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who held an early lead in the campaign despite his resignation from office in 2018 amid legal and private scandal. Republicans feared a Greitens nomination would at worst endanger what was a safe GOP seat, but also force the party to spend heavily to keep it, taking away resources from other Senate races, including Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona as the party looked to regain control of the chamber.

Schmitt embraced former President Donald Trump’s agenda, and as Attorney General, critics say he used his job as a campaign tool, filing lawsuits over school masks, and suing the Biden administration over COVID 19 mandates, immigration and other issues. He also filed briefs supporting legal attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the states of Texas and Pennsylvania. The suits were rejected by the Supreme Court.

Schmitt told reporters Monday night that among his legislative priorities if elected would include a push for a balanced budget amendment to reduce spending, support a boost in domestic energy production, and promised a look into “the administrative state”, citing alleged overreach at the Department of Justice.

Busch Valentine spent more than $16 million of her own money on the race, her first attempt at elected office. She sought out a largely moderate path in the early stages of the primary campaign and despite defeating Lucas Kunce in August, was seen as a candidate who struggled to energize the base and more liberal Democratic voters. While she and other Democratic candidates made abortion protection a key prong of their campaigns, Schmitt was able to connect her to Biden administration policies seen as causing high inflation and maintained a double-digit lead in most polling done in the general election campaign.

Schmitt’s win means that Missouri will again have an appointed Attorney General. Gov. Mike Parson named Schmitt to the spot when Josh Hawley was elected to the Senate. Hawley told reporters Monday that Schmitt didn’t need any of his advice, but it does already appear the two agree on a key item for Senate Republicans. They both have said they don’t want to see Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell in a leadership election. McConnell told CNN recently that he “has the votes”. Schmitt nor Hawley would identify a preferred candidate.