NAFUSA lifetime member John Wood on Wednesday launched his campaign in Missouri for U.S. Senator, running as an Independent to the field of Democratic and Republican candidates. Wood, who served as United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri from 2007 to 2009 and served in several senior level positions during the Bush Administration, was named Senior Investigative Counsel for the House January 6th Select Committee in September 2021. He resigned as the lead investigator for the Committee last week before launching his bid to run for the U.S. Senate.

Wood graduated from Harvard Law School and was the articles chair of the Harvard Law Review. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. He was named chief legal officer and general counsel to the U.S .Chamber of Commerce in May 2018. Wood is married to Julie Myers Wood, the C.E.O. of NAFUSA sponsor Guidepost Solutions.

To qualify for the November 8 ballot in the race for retiring Republican Sen. Roy Blount’s seat, he must submit 10,000 signatures to the Missouri secretary of state’s office by August 1.