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Ed Martin
Ed Martin is the former chief of staff for Governor Matt Blunt. He ran as a Republican candidate for Attorney General of Missouri in the 2012 statewide election.[1]
On December 10, 2024, Donald Trump (R) said he would appoint Martin to serve as chief of staff of the Office of Management and Budget in his second presidential term.[2]
Biography
Martin's post-graduate academic work centered around the issue of public health. He specialized in health law at St. Louis University and then returned to his alma mater to earn a master's degree in health care ethics. He passed the Missouri Bar but put off a judicial clerkship for an opportunity to direct the Human Rights Office for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis. There he fostered pro-life advocacy and educational programs.[3]
He segued from church service into a law career. He started at the Institute for Justice in Washington, D.C. and then moved to Kansas City to work as a judicial clerk to Honorable Pasco M. Bowman, II. Following his stint under Judge Bowman, Martin shifted into private practice, joining the St. Louis-based international law firm Bryan Cave, LLC, eventually starting his own firm specializing in litigation and small business practice in 2004.[3]
Education
- J.D., St. Louis University School of Law
- Master's degree, health care ethics, St. Louis University
Political career
Martin first stepped into the political spotlight in 2005 with his leadership in the case against former Governor Rod Blagojevich. He was soon appointed to the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners, to which he brought his patented conservative resolve and agenda. After a year tackling ACORN and the implementation of the Help America Vote Act, Governor Matt Blunt tapped Martin to be his chief of staff.[3] He served in this role for almost two years until resigning in late 2007 in the wake of a controversial episode involving the practice of deleting internal office emails that putatively divided him and Gov. Blunt.
Martin announced his candidacy for attorney general on January 26, 2012. The attorney general seat was the third post Martin set his sights on during the 2012 election season. Prior to entering the race for Attorney General, Martin staged a brief run first for the U.S. Senate, and then for the U.S. House, representing Missouri's 2nd District.[4], but decided ultimately on challenging Koster in the AG race because of an "almost obsession with stopping the president's health care reform law."[5]
Noteworthy events
During his two years as chief of staff for former Governor Matt Blunt, Martin made numerous accusations. First he accused then attorney general Jay Nixon of coercing Ameren Corp. to contribute to his gubernatorial campaign. Later, he said to the Missouri Housing Development Commission concerning a developer charged with hiring illegal immigrants that "every frigging developer can figure out who is illegal, and when he says - like he told them - there’s a bunch of Mexicans out there, I guess some of them are probably not legal."[6] The comment was considered offensive to Hispanics.
Martin resigned from Blunt's staff in 2007, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. Before he left, Martin was the principal voice surrounding the office's practice of deleting internal emails. Blunt initially defended his administration's practices, but then ordered the Office of Administration to save all emails. Martin's position was exposed when an ex-employee said that Martin fired him for pointing out that emails can be public records. The Governor said that Martin made substantial contributions to the office and that he "remains a friend, someone I respect for his commitment to better Missouri government," but would not confirm that he left entirely of his own accord. Blunt confessed his responses on that subject were deliberately ambiguous.[6]
Elections
2012
Martin ran for Attorney General of Missouri in 2012. He defeated Adam Warren in the Republican primary election on August 7th but was defeated by incumbent Chris Koster (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[7][8]
| Attorney General of Indiana General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Greg Zoeller Incumbent |
58% | 1,453,334 | |
| Democratic | Kay Fleming | 42% | 1,051,504 | |
| Total Votes | 2,504,838 | |||
| Election results via Indiana Secretary of State | ||||
Primary
- Martin won the Republican primary nomination with nearly 72% of the vote.
| Missouri Secretary of State Republican Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Shane Schoeller |
35.3% | 193,207 | ||
| Scott Rupp | 34.5% | 188,701 | ||
| Bill Stouffer | 30.2% | 165,588 | ||
| Total Votes | 547,496 | |||
| Election results via Missouri Secretary of State. | ||||
Issue Positions
- Healthcare Reform
Martin is staunchly behind efforts to repeal the President Obama-led federal healthcare overhaul, widely known as Obamacare. He cited this issue as his reason for entering the attorney general race, believing that officeholder Chris Koster should be challenged on account of his supportive position on the controversial healthcare reform.
- Judicial appointments
- See also: Missouri Plan
Searching for a better process for selecting its judges has been a project the Missouri General Assembly have labored over a great deal in recent years. The hope was that the state could make a few tweaks to the current appointment-based system to improve overall transparency and openness; but with the modifications so far having failed to engender significant spikes in the people's trust in the system, more Missourians are advocating for more radical change- even possibly shifting to judicial elections. Martin spoke out in support of moving from today's system, the convoluted "Missouri Plan" to the “federal system”, which would allow the governor to nominate judges subject to approval by the state Senate. Legislation reflecting this proposed shift has already been considered by the Senate General Assembly and the House Special Standing Committee on Judicial Reform. Asked about a potential move to judicial elections, Martin said, "I don’t know if we’re ready to have elections, but I’m open to it.”[9]
Endorsements
Attorney General 2012
On June 24, the Missouri Republican Party formalized their support for Martin in the GOP primary contest for attorney general simultaneous with the announcement that he had been chosen by state and national party officials to lead the "Missouri Victory 2012 Campaign," the Republican Party’s ballot-wide get-out-the-vote effort, as chairman in 2012.[10] Missouri Republican Party Chairman David Cole explained that Martin earned the honor because he "is focused, energetic, and committed to everything he does...He is exactly the kind of leader Republicans need in Missouri during this crucial election year.”[10]
Former Missouri and U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced his endorsement of Martin's candidacy in the 2012 election. Ashcroft, who has known Martin for years, said he was confident that Martin's private sector experience practicing law, coupled with his "executive governmental responsibilities and legal experience as a clerk of the federal district court eminently qualify him for service as Attorney General of Missouri.”[11] Governor of Texas Rick Perry (R) also supported Martin's bid for the office. He first stumped for Martin at a rally in Cape Giradeau in late June, 2012.[12]
Former and Elected Officials
Organizations
Conservative Community Leaders
Committee Chairs
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Campaign finance summary
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Martin has three children with his wife, Carol.[14]
Contact
Mailing Address:
PO Box 29480
St. Louis, MO 63126
St. Louis Office:
6037 Hampton Ave
St. Louis, MO 63109
Phone Number:314-256-1776
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ CBS St. Louis, "Ed Martin Takes Reins of Missouri GOP," January 5, 2013
- ↑ 4President, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Ed Martin as Chief of Staff at the Office of Management and Budget," December 10, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ed Martin for Missouri, "Biography," accessed March 29, 2012
- ↑ CBS St. Louis, "Ed Martin Tries Again for Congress" accessed January 16, 2012
- ↑ St. Louis Today, "Ed Martin switches races again, will now pursue AG," January 27, 2012
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Columbia Tribune, "Blunt's chief of staff quits," November 21, 2007
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "November 6, 2012 General Election Results," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ AP Election Results-Campaign 2012, "Missouri-Summary Vote Results," August 7, 2012
- ↑ PoliticMO "Martin open to judicial selection process changes," April 3, 2012
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 STL Today, "AG candidate Ed Martin named to head GOP 'Victory' campaign," June 24, 2012
- ↑ PoliticMo, "Former US, Missouri AG Ashcroft endorses Martin," March 1, 2012
- ↑ Ed Martin for Missouri Attorney General, "Gov. Rick Perry, Ed Martin to Hold Rally in Cape Girardeau," June 29, 2012
- ↑ Ed Martin for Missouri, "Endorsements," accessed March 1, 2012
- ↑ Official Campaign Site, "About Ed" accessed January 16, 2012
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