St. Louis lawyer who pointed gun at Black Lives Matter protesters considering Senate run

Mark McCloskey, who rose to national prominence after he was seen pointing an assault rifle at Black Lives Matter protesters in St. Louis last year, is looking at a possible Senate run in Missouri.

McCloskey, a wealthy personal-injury lawyer, said in an interview with Politico that a Senate run is a “consideration.”

McCloskey and his wife, Patricia, garnered attention in 2020 after they were seen waving guns at protesters outside their St. Louis mansion. While the two were indicted on charges of unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering, Republicans have raised them up as an example of what they say is a use of firearms in self-defense.

In a sign of their prominence in GOP circles, the McCloskeys spoke at last year’s Republican National Convention and were even supported by then-President Trump, who said it was “disgraceful” that they were being charged.

Should McCloskey ultimately jump into the race to replace outgoing GOP Sen. Roy Blunt, he would add another controversial contender in the Republican primary. The GOP is already grappling with the candidacy of former Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned in disgrace in 2018 over allegations he had an affair with his hairdresser and blackmailed and sexually assaulted her.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is also seeking the GOP nomination. Former state Sen. Scott Sifton and attorney Lucas Kunce are among those running for the Democrats.