Matt Blunt

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Matt Blunt

54^th Governor of Missouri
Incumbent
Assumed office January 10, 2005
Lieutenant(s)	Peter Kinder
Preceded by	Bob Holden
Succeeded by	incumbent

Born	November 20, 1970 (age 36) Springfield, Missouri
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Melanie A. Blunt
Profession	Navy Officer
Religion	Southern Baptist

Matthew Roy (Matt) Blunt (born November 20, 1970) was elected Governor of Missouri on November 2, 2004. At the age of 33, this made him the second youngest person ever elected to that office after Kit Bond. He is a member of the Republican Party. Blunt is currently as of 2007 the youngest Governor in the United States.

1 Background and education
2 Political career
- 2.1 Election as Secretary of State
- 2.2 Term as Governor
3 United States Attorney Controversy
4 Electoral history
5 References
6 External links

Blunt is the son of House Minority Whip Roy Blunt and his first wife, Roseann Blunt. After graduating from Jefferson City High School in Jefferson City, Missouri, Blunt was accepted into the United States Naval Academy where he received a bachelor's degree in history in 1993.

As an officer in the United States Navy, he went on to serve as an engineering officer aboard the USS Jack Williams and as the navigator and administrative officer on the USS Peterson.

His active duty service included participation in Operation Support Democracy, involving the United Nations blockade of Haiti, missions to interdict drug traffic off the South American coast, and on duties involved in the interdiction of Cuban migrants in 1994. During his Naval career, Blunt received numerous commendations, including four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Blunt was called into active military service. Blunt completed a six-month tour of duty in Great Britain during Operation Enduring Freedom, during which time he continued to work full-time as Missouri Secretary of State. He is a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy Reserve. In accordance with Pentagon regulations, if Blunt is called for military duty while Governor, he might have to either transfer his gubernatorial powers to Lt. Governor Peter Kinder, or resign from the Naval Reserve. [1]

Blunt is a member of the State Historical Society of Missouri, the American Legion, and the Missouri Farm Bureau. As Governor, he is a member of the National Governors Association and Southern Governors' Association, and is Vice Chairman of the Republican Governors Association. Blunt and his wife, Melanie, were married in May, 1997. Their son, William Branch Blunt was born on March 9, 2005.

In 1998, Blunt was elected as a Republican to the Missouri House of Representatives to represent the 139th legislative district for a two-year term. In 2000, he was elected Missouri Secretary of State; although only a first-term state representative, Blunt defeated the Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives. Blunt was the only Republican elected to statewide office in Missouri in 2000. On November 2, 2004, he defeated State Auditor (and current U.S. Senator) Claire McCaskill 50.8%-47.9% and was elected Governor of Missouri.

Blunt received considerable fundraising support from his father's supporters and from out-of-state Republicans in his 2000 Secretary of State bid. Senior political strategist Karl Rove appeared at an April 21, 2000 fundraiser in Springfield.[2] The state Republican Party contributed $160,000 to Blunt's campaign, having received $100,000 in donations from Rep. Roy Blunt's PAC [3], and the 7th District Congressional Republican Committee - a fundraising group affiliated with the senior Blunt - donated $40,000.[4]. Contributions from 84 of Rep. Blunt's colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives totalled over $65,000.[5][6] Matt Blunt defeated his Democrat opponent Steve Gaw with 51.4% of the vote, to Gaw's 45.1%.[7]

When Blunt took office in January 2005, it was the first time in Missouri since 1921 that a Republican held the Governor's office with Republican majorities in both houses of the State Legislature. Blunt and his allies in the Legislature moved quickly to enact legislation that they said would create a positive business climate in the state and result in job growth [8]. Among the legislation passed were tort reform measures that overhauled the state's legal system [9], and changes in the state's workers compensation laws.

Addressing the state's budget was among the most controversial issues. Along with the Republican leadership in the Legislature, Blunt insisted that state spending must be cut in order to keep the budget balanced without raising taxes. Particularly controversial were provisions eliminating the state's First Steps program and cutting to the state's Medicaid program. The Medicaid cuts were severely criticized by editorials in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch [10] [11] [12] and by others in the state [13]. After a large lobbying effort by supporters of the First Steps program, it was restored to the budget before the final version was passed [14]. Overall, almost 100,000 Missourians lost Medicaid coverage under Blunt's first budget.

Abortion and stem cell research have also been contentious issues during Blunt's term. Blunt opposes abortion, but has also opposed efforts to ban research procedures such as somatic cell nuclear transfer. There were efforts to pass such a ban in the Missouri Legislature during the 2005 session. Disagreements among Republicans over the stem cell issue held up efforts to pass restrictions on abortion, such as a 24-hour waiting period, and a restriction on helping minors cross state lines to avoid Missouri's parental consent requirement. In September 2005, Blunt called a special session of the Legislature, specifically to address abortion. The Legislature passed the above-noted restrictions, and Blunt signed them into law [15].

In October 2005, Blunt announced his support for an initiative petition, prominently supported by former Senator John Danforth, that would amend Missouri's Constitution to prohibit a ban on somatic cell nuclear transfer. Because constitutional amendments can only be approved by the voters, this would effectively remove the issue from the Legislature. [16] Due to his position on this initiative, Missouri Right to Life announced that it no longer considers Blunt a pro-life politician.[17]

The criticism Blunt has faced from both the left and the right have made his first year in office difficult. As of February 2006, a poll conducted by SurveyUSA shows Blunt with a 33% job approval rating, the fifth lowest of any governor in the nation. [18] His approval among Republicans polled is 62%, but his rating among Democrats was only 12%.[19]. This is one of the greatest partisan divides of any governor.

In the 2006 legislative session, Blunt's stated priorities included enacting a version of "Jessica's Law" requiring a minimum 25 year sentences for child sex offenders one of his legislative priorities. [20] In the area of education, Blunt proposed selling Missouri's student loan agency, known as MOHELA, and using the proceeds to pay for endowments and new construction for the state's public universities. [21] In the area of elementary and secondary education, Blunt has proposed that school districts be required to spend at least 65% of their budgets on student instruction. After the proposal was criticized, Blunt suggested that the 65% threshold should be a goal, rather than a mandate.[22] Blunt has also offered his support for measures that would allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception, in contrast to Illinois, which recently enacted legislation requiring pharmacies to fill such prescriptions.[23]

As of August 22, 2006, Blunt has a 40% approval rating, 45th of the 50 governors. [24]

In October 2006, Governor Blunt earned the highest score of any US governor from the libertarian Cato Institute. Blunt received a grade of 'A' -- the only governor to do so -- by reducing Missouri's budget, limiting Medicaid spending, and making the state government smaller. [25]

This article documents a current event.
Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

Main article: Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy

United States Attorney Bud Cummins had been investigating Blunt's Administration to see if he "abused his power by forming a system of umbrella companies established through Kansas City law firm Lathrop & Gage LC to run the state’s licensing network.".^[1] The investigation stopped when Cummins was fired. He was replaced with Timothy Griffin, a controversial former Karl Rove aide.^[2]

2004 Race for Governor [26]
- Matt Blunt (R), 51%
- Claire McCaskill (D), 48%
- John M. Swenson (Lib), 1%
- Robert Wells (Cst), 0%
- Kenneth J. Johnson (Ind), 0%

^ Smith, Cory. "FBI probe targets governor (page 2)", Springfield Business Journal, May 1, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
^ "E-mails lay out plan to dismiss U.S. attorneys", CNN, March 14, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.

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Governor Matt Blunt official state site
National Governors Association - Missouri Governor Matt Blunt biography
Follow the Money - Matt Blunt 2004 campaign contributions
On the Issues - Matt Blunt issue positions and quotes
Project Vote Smart - Governor Matthew R. 'Matt' Blunt (MO) profile
Legislation sponsored by Representative Matt Blunt in 1999 in 2000
Governor Matt Blunt official campaign site

Preceded by Phillip Wannenmacher	State Representative for the 139th District of Missouri 1998–2001	Succeeded by Brad Roark
Preceded by Bekki Cook	Missouri Secretary of State 2001–2005	Succeeded by Robin Carnahan
Preceded by Bob Holden	Governor of Missouri 2005 – present	Incumbent