“Newly released polling in Missouri bolsters an argument Senate Republican leadership has made for months: Former Gov. Eric Greitens (R) could be an unusually weak red-state nominee,” Politico reports.
“Greitens, who resigned mid-term in 2018, has led the crowded Republican field in early polling for the state’s open Senate seat. But according to a recent survey… Greitens would have just a slim lead over Democrat Lucas Kunce if the general election were held today.”
Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) scored a major victory in her quest for Missouri’s open Senate seat, winning the endorsement of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) in the crowded GOP primary, the Missouri Independent reports.
“Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is banking on Republican voters forgiving his past indiscretions when they choose a U.S. Senate nominee next August. Many in the GOP establishment are hoping they don’t forget,” the AP reports.
“Senate Republican leadership concurs that a Greitens primary victory would hand the seat to Democrats. But so far they’ve taken a hands-off approach, convinced Greitens’ campaign will implode as he struggles to raise money and continues to be dogged by the scandal.”
Former President Donald Trump was interviewed by Hugh Hewitt on his radio show:
TRUMP: So we have some big endorsements coming.
HEWITT: Please don’t, please don’t endorse Eric Greitens. That’s a nightmare, Mr. President. We’ll lose that seat. But that’s Hugh Hewitt’s opinion, not yours.
TRUMP: Well, that’s an interesting opinion, that’s true. He’s right now leading by quite a bit.
HEWITT: I know, but he will lose the seat. We will lose the seat.
TRUMP: I understand that. Okay, some people feel that.
Politico: “Greitens is a formidable presence in the race, armed with a solid base, right-wing media savvy and a billionaire backer. But the scandal-plagued Greitens is also viewed by many Republicans — both nationally and in Missouri — as the candidate most likely to jeopardize a GOP-held Senate seat. With the Senate majority in sight in next year’s midterm elections, the prospect of blowing the opportunity weighs heavily on party minds.”
“Pointing to Greitens’ baggage — he resigned the governorship in 2018, midway through his first term, following allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman — many Missouri Republicans view him as an opportunist who has shamelessly recast himself as a MAGA warrior to revive his political career.”
“Missouri’s legal ethics watchdog has asked the state Supreme Court to suspend U.S. Senate candidate Mark McCloskey’s (R) law license for six months after pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault in a widely publicized gun-waving incident during a police brutality protest last summer,” the Kansas City Star reports.
Former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) announced he won’t run for U.S. Senate in Missouri.
Washington Post: “Few candidates have done more in recent months to court Trump, or to compare his own controversy to the scandals that enveloped the former president. Yet in a state that Trump won by 15 points in 2020, the Greitens campaign has tested the question of just how far the former president and Republican voters are willing to go to overlook past misdeeds.”
“Several Republican strategists say they worry that the lurid scandals that brought down Greitens would create an opening for a Democrats if he is the nominee, especially if former governor Jay Nixon (D) decides to run. More likely, they say, Greitens would just increase the costs for Republicans to win the state, diverting resources from other contests.”
Missouri Independent: “Those close to Nixon say he doesn’t want to jump into the race unless he sees a path to victory.”
“And while Nixon may seem appealing to party leaders who hope he can win back rural Democrats who voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, that formula has failed in other states.”
“Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland each ran for Senate as elder statesmen who could appeal to white, working-class voters who had become reliable Republicans.”
Politico: “Richard Uihlein, a billionaire shipping and industrial supply company executive, is donating $2.5 million to a newly formed, pro-Greitens super PAC. The cash infusion will give Eric Greitens a financial lift as many of the party’s contributors shun the former governor, who resigned from office in 2018 amid allegations that he sexually assaulted his hairstylist.”
“Greitens, who is running for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt, will need the money. The former governor could face an avalanche of attacks from Republican establishment-aligned groups amid concerns from party leaders that his nomination would jeopardize the party’s hold on what should be a safe seat and imperil their prospects of winning the Senate majority.”
The Riverfront Times outdid itself with this lede:
“Noted local criminal Mark McCloskey played host to a barbecue/political rally on Sunday afternoon, drawing tens of admirers to the sweltering parking lot of a closed outlet mall in St. Louis County to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the time he pulled a gun on a crowd of people who otherwise would never have noticed or cared he existed.”
Kansas City Star: “One Republican candidate in Missouri’s Senate race skipped the state party’s annual convention last week and traveled instead to Arizona, where he toured the site of a discredited 2020 election audit and falsely claimed it could lead to decertification of the results.”
“Another contender recently announced a campaign event in the St. Louis suburbs with a former Trump administration official beloved by supporters of QAnon.”
“It’s a strategy being pursued by Republican candidates in races across the country ahead of 2022, as rhetoric from those seeking to undermine the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s decisive victory over former President Donald Trump continues to escalate.”
Mark McCloskey, who along with his wife waved guns at protesters last year who marched past the couple’s mansion, struck a plea agreement by pleading guilty to a misdemeanor and agreeing to give up his weapons, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
McCloskey (R), who is running for U.S. Senate, will pay a $750 fine and face no jail time.
Kansas City Star: “In a worst-case scenario for Greitens’ opponents, a large primary field without a strong anti-Greitens alternative could fracture the vote and allow the former governor to win with only 20%. Missouri Republicans would be left with a nominee loathed by a significant portion of the party as control of the Senate hangs in the balance.”
“Greitens has gone to great lengths to signal he is a candidate in the Trump mold. He’s maintained a near-constant presence on right-wing, pro-Trump media, including hosting a show on the America’s Voice TV network and announcing his candidacy on Fox News.”
Missouri Independent: “According to several sources familiar with her plans, U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Harrisonville will announce her bid sometime in early June and go to Lincoln Days in full campaign mode.”
“So far, the field includes a disgraced former governor, the current attorney general and a man who blasted to internet fame by confronting protesters with a firearm in the race for Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat.”
“Nearly a year after waving a long gun at protesters who had walked onto the street in front of his Central West End mansion, Mark McCloskey on Tuesday said he is running for U.S. Senate,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
“Missouri Republicans offered a last-minute proposal that would force U.S. Senate candidates into runoffs to win their primary election, reflecting fears that former Gov. Eric Greitens (R) could prevail next year against a divided GOP field,” the Kansas City Star reports.
“The remarkable proposal… came seemingly out of nowhere late Wednesday night with two days left in the legislative session.”
“It would apply to all statewide offices, and the Congressional and U.S. Senate seats, and only apply through 2024.”
“A former Texas mayor, whose tenure lasted only 37 days, appears to be running for U.S. Senate in Missouri,” the Kansas City Star reports.
“Dan McQueen (R) became mayor of Corpus Christi in December of 2016. He resigned a little more than a month later, after allegations that he had, among other matters, misrepresented his educational credentials and concealed a romantic relationship with a top aide.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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