Missouri Governor Matt Blunt: Politician on the Rise
Raised in the Ozark city of Springfield (Missouri’s third largest city), Blunt received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland after his high school graduation. He graduated from the Naval Academy with a Bachelor’s degree in History and became a Naval officer. In 1998, he was elected as a Republican representative to the Missouri House of Representatives and represented the 139th district for a two year term of office. After that term, Blunt ran for the office of Missouri Secretary of State and won the election, defeating the Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives. In 2000, he was the sole Republican elected to state office in Missouri.
After the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01, Blunt was called back to active duty. He served six months as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Great Britian and then returned to the Show-Me State to complete his term as Secretary of State.
On November 4, 2004, he won the race for Governor and defeated his opponent, State Auditor Claire McCaskill by a majority vote. Blunt made history when he took office in January 2005 by becoming the first Republican governer since 1921 to take office with a Republican majority in both houses of the Missouri Legislalture.
He became active in Missouri as soon as he was sworn into office. His swift changes to the state budget proved to be controversial but effective. His cuts to the Medicaid program were harshly criticized as was his elimination of the First Steps program. Opponents of Blunt insist that his cuts hurt Missouri’s poor including children and senior citizens who have no other options for medical care. Not known for his compassionate, Blunt ignored his critics in order to balance the budget without raising taxes. Republicans cheered him on while Democrats cried foul.
Other controversial issues have dogged the young Governer and these include stem cell research, a proposed ammendment to the Missouri constitution that would ban somaticcel nuclear transfer, and Missouri Right to Life announced that they no longer support Blunt as a pro-life politician. He initially proposed that all school districts must spend 65% of budgets on instruction but later ammended his statements to say that it was a goal, not a mandate. His support to ban the “morning after” pill met with opposition and did his proposal to sell Misosuri’s student loan agency (MOHELA) to an outside agency.
In his private life, Blunt spends most of his time at home in the Springfield, Missouri area and seldom uses the Governor’s Mansion in the state capitol, Jefferson City. He has been criticized because the mansion must be prepared and staffed for use by the governer at all times, at taxpayer expense. In May 1997, he married his wife Melanie and their son, William Branch Blunt, was born on March 9, 2005.
With a noted politician father, multiple public office holdings at an early age and years remaining in his career, Blunt is considered to be an up-and-coming Republican who may have his eye on greater goals that could include not only the Senate but the White House.
Time will tell how much history will be flavored by Governor Matt Blunt, Missouri’s young Governor. Recent polls rank his approval among Missouri residents at 33%, 5th lowest in the nation.
