Matt Blunt
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 the son of
House Majority 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 (
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. After completing a six month tour of duty in
Great Britain during
Operation Enduring Freedom, he returned to complete his term as
Secretary of State (see below). He continues to serve in the
Navy Reserve as a
Lieutenant Commander. 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, the
Southern Governors' Association, and the
Republican Governors Association. He 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
Claire McCaskill 50.8%-47.9% and was elected Governor of Missouri.
Term as Governor
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 [
2]. Among the legislation passed were
tort reform measures that overhauled the state's legal system [
3], 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 [
4] [
5] [
6] and by others in the state [
7]. After a large lobbying effort by supporters of the First Steps program, it was restored to the budget before the final version was passed [
8]. Overall, almost 100,000 Missourians lost their 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 [
9].
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. [
10] Due to his position on this initiative, Missouri Right to Life announced that it no longer considers Blunt a
pro-life politician.
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. [
11] His approval among Republicans polled is 62%, but his rating among Democrats was only 12%.[
12]. 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. [
13] 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. [
14] 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.[
15] 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.[
16]
*
2004 Race for Governor**Matt Blunt (R), 51%
**
Claire McCaskill (D), 48%
*
Missouri Governor's Website
