Josh Hawley | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| United States Senator from Missouri | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 Serving with Eric Schmitt | |
| Preceded by | Claire McCaskill |
| 42nd Attorney General of Missouri | |
| In office January 9, 2017 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Governor | Eric Greitens Mike Parson |
| Preceded by | Chris Koster |
| Succeeded by | Eric Schmitt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joshua David Hawley December 31, 1979 Springdale, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) Yale University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Senate website |
Joshua David Hawley (born December 31, 1979) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the senior United States senator from Missouri, a seat he has held since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Hawley served as the 42nd attorney general of Missouri from 2017 to 2019, before defeating two-term incumbent Democratic senator Claire McCaskill in the 2018 election and winning reelection in 2024.
Born in Springdale, Arkansas, to a banker and a teacher, Hawley graduated from Stanford University in 2002 and Yale Law School in 2006. After being a law clerk to Judge Michael W. McConnell and Chief Justice John Roberts, he worked as a lawyer, first in private practice from 2008 to 2011 and then for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty from 2011 to 2015. Before becoming Missouri attorney general, he was also an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Law, and a faculty member of the conservative Blackstone Legal Fellowship.
As Missouri attorney general, Hawley initiated several high-profile lawsuits and investigations, including a lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act, an investigation into Missouri governor Eric Greitens, and a lawsuit and investigation into companies associated with the opioid epidemic. His political beliefs have been described as strongly socially conservative.[1][2]
In December 2020, Hawley became the first senator to announce plans to object to the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 United States presidential election, leading these efforts in the Senate and expressing concerns about election integrity.[3][4][5][6][7] Although he did not call for protesters at the Capitol to turn violent, some critics viewed his actions as heightening tensions.[8] In January 2021, Hawley said he did not intend to overturn the election results.[9][10]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
kilgorewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Stewart, Katherine (January 11, 2021). "The Roots of Josh Hawley's Rage". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:8was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cole, Devan; LeBlanc, Paul (January 4, 2021). "The Trump ally in the Senate leading the President's futile effort to challenge the Electoral College votes". CNN. Archived from the original on October 3, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NPR2020was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Peters, Cameron (January 3, 2021). "A GOP plan to challenge election results is splintering the Republican conference". Vox. Archived from the original on October 3, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Astor, Maggie (January 15, 2021). "Josh Hawley, who led Senate efforts to overturn the election results, is being targeted by a super PAC". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 3, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Conroy, J. Oliver (January 12, 2021). "Josh Hawley fanned the flames for diehard Trump voters. Will his gambit pay off?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 3, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
Unlike Donald Trump, Hawley did not directly encourage the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol last Wednesday. But his move to muddy the legitimacy of the election undoubtedly fanned the flames.
- ^ Coleman, Justine (January 28, 2021). "Hawley denies trying to overturn election results". The Hill. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ Desrochers, Daniel (January 6, 2022). "Josh Hawley looked like a pariah immediately after Jan. 6. A year later, not so much". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
Hawley was treated like a pariah. Democrats filed an ethics complaint against him. There were calls for his resignation and censure. A year later, nothing has come from the ethics complaint and Hawley has neither resigned nor been censured.