OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The Missouri Senate GOP primary has attracted several candidates as Republicans compete for retiring Republican Sen. Roy Blunt’s seat.
State Attorney General Eric Schmitt has been declared the winner over former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who has been embroiled in several scandals, including allegations by his ex-wife that he abused her and their child. Greitens has denied the allegations.
I've seen enough: Eric Schmitt (R) wins the #MOSEN GOP primary, defeating Vicky Hartzler (R), Eric Greitens (R) and others.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) August 3, 2022
Projection:
Eric Schmitt is the Projected Winner in the Missouri Senate Republican Primary. He will defeat Eric Greitens.#Election2022 #ElectionDay #MOSen pic.twitter.com/FdNr71p4B0— The Election Center (@ElectionCenter_) August 3, 2022
Former President Donald Trump created a firestorm on Monday when he endorsed “ERIC,” which was interesting given three Erics — Eric Greitens, Eric Schmitt, and Eric McElroy — all ran for the Senate seat.
“I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds, much as they did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!” Trump said in a statement after he emphasized voters “must send a MAGA Champion and True Warrior to the U.S. Senate, someone who will fight for Border Security, Election Integrity, our Military, and Great Veterans, together with having a powerful toughness on Crime and the Border.”
A Trump adviser said the internal bickering demonstrated the former president’s enduring power and influence in the party.
“Instead of talking about Missouri, the Erics are debating what Trump’s endorsement means,” the adviser said. “Yes, it’s an epic troll.”
Shortly after Trump’s statement, both Greitens and Schmitt claimed to have Trump’s full support.
“President Trump has looked at the candidates and all that’s at stake in this race, and he has given me his COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!” read a campaign fundraising email from Schmitt.
“Honored to have the support of President Trump! We will MAGA! ” Greitens tweeted. Greitens also has ties to Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, and he tweeted a video of Guilfoyle backing him.
Schmitt’s campaign website offers details about what positions and policies he supports.
As Missouri Attorney General, Eric launched multiple major initiatives to better the lives of Missourians across the state. In his first month in office, Eric launched his Safer Streets Initiative, featuring unprecedented cooperation between the U.S Attorney’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office, taking on violent crime across the state. Recently, Eric has launched his Office’s first Cold Case Unit to deliver justice to victims who have waited far too long.
Eric has also been committed to tackling the opioid crisis and launched the Real Opioid Pain initiative to hear from Missouri citizens who have been impacted by this crisis and is battling Big Pharma in court. To address the backlog of untested sexual assault kits, Eric launched the SAFE Kit initiative to bring justice for the brave individuals who came forward to tell their stories.
During Trump’s Presidency, Eric took the lead on backing up the Administration’s policies. Eric was the first Attorney General to sue China to hold them accountable for unleashing the coronavirus on Americans. When Facebook was canceling conservatives and Google was using their platform to hurt consumers and businesses, Eric filed a lawsuit and launched a massive antitrust probe to stop Big Tech abuses. When voter integrity came into question, Eric authored and led the brief supporting the Pennsylvania Republican Party against the unconstitutional actions of the Pennsylvania courts, and he authored and led a brief in support of Texas’ lawsuit against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin before the United States Supreme Court, where 17 other states to joined him.
Since Joe Biden has taken over the White House, Eric has been one of the leading state attorneys general to hold the Biden administration accountable, protect the Constitution and the America First Agenda. He has been on the front lines of every fight President Biden has waged against our jobs, our freedoms, and our safety. When President Biden canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline and thousands of jobs with it, Eric demanded it be reinstated and filed suit. When President Biden and John Kerry circumvented the Constitution to set a “social cost” on greenhouse gases, a move that would cost not thousands but millions of jobs, destroy the energy and agriculture industries, and lower the standard of living for working families, Eric immediately sued him. When Joe Biden halted Operation Talon endangering American lives, Eric pushed back against President Biden, urging him to reverse his order.
As a state senator, Eric Schmitt valued cooperation over confrontation. But as Attorney General, he's spent much of his time on legal actions against the Biden Administration — including attempts to overturn the 2020 election — and fighting COVID-19 rules.https://t.co/vG5XimIM5i
— KCUR (@kcur) July 30, 2022
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt commits to fighting against Covid mandates, saying he doesn’t want to live in a “bio-medical security state”
pic.twitter.com/sR2SOeDnKg— Election Wizard 🇺🇸 (@ElectionWiz) August 12, 2021
