Former President Donald Trump hedged his support in Missouri’s Republican US Senate primary by throwing his support behind ERIC, without specifying which – the scandal-plagued former governor or the state’s attorney general who appears to be leading in the polls. After a day of speculation among political operatives in Missouri and Washington that Trump was ready to endorse either former Gov. Eric Greitens or Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmidt, Trump chose both in a statement shortly after 5 p.m. afternoon. The split decision came just over 12 hours before the polls opened – and left Trump to claim credit if either candidate wins on Tuesday. Trump said he wanted a candidate who would fight for border security “election integrity, the military and military veterans. “We need a person who will not back down to the Radical Leftist Madmen who are destroying our country,” Trump wrote. “I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this, to make up their own minds, as they did when they gave me landslide victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and therefore I am proud to announce that ERIC has their full and Complete endorsement!” While the endorsement was widely expected by Republicans, Trump’s muted statement is unlikely to have much impact on the eve of a tight race where he has appeared reluctant to throw his full weight behind any candidate. Last month, Trump knee-jerked U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, who polled as one of the top three candidates in the race, saying he wouldn’t endorse her because he didn’t feel she “had what it takes to face the Radical Left Democrats”. In March, Trump praised U.S. Rep. Billy Long, but did not endorse him. Long never entered the top tier of candidates in the polls. Both Erics immediately moved to capitalize on Trump’s statement. Greitens posted a graphic on Twitter saying the former president had endorsed him. Soon after, Schmitt released a statement saying he was “truly honored” to have Trump’s endorsement and calling himself the only “America First” candidate in the race. “He was smart to say Eric. It was inventive. This is Trump!” said Rene Artman, chairman of the St. Louis County Republican Central Committee. Polling in the final weeks of the race showed Schmitt winning the race, with several polls showing him ahead. Meanwhile, recent polls have Greitens in third place. Greitens has come under fire for past allegations of sexual assault and extortion that led to his resignation as governor in 2018, as well as allegations by his ex-wife that he physically and emotionally abused her and their young children. The split comes after Trump said he was upset by a poll conducted by Remington Research Group, a firm founded by Schmitt campaign consultant Jeff Roe, that showed Schmitt winning the race with 34 percent of the vote. The poll also looked at the 2024 Republican presidential primary and had Trump at 42 percent of the vote, ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis at 18 percent. After Breitbart, which has written favorably about Greitens throughout the campaign, said the poll was “bogus” and underestimated Trump’s support in the state, Trump posted the paper’s article on his Truth Social website, decrying the “dishonesty in politics”. This is a spastic story and will be updated This story was originally published on August 1, 2022 at 5:21 pm. Jonathan Shorman is the lead political reporter for the Kansas City Star, covering Kansas and Missouri politics and government. He previously covered the Kansas Statehouse for The Star and the Wichita Eagle. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas.
Daniel Desrochers covers Washington, DC for the Kansas City Star. He previously covered politics and government for the Lexington Herald-Leader in Kentucky and the Charleston Gazette-Mail in Charleston, West Virginia.