Missouri GOP Senate candidates call for Greitens to drop out of race

Multiple Republican candidates running to replace retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R) in Missouri have called on their rival Eric Greitens (R) to drop out of the race after his ex-wife accused him of domestic abuse in an affidavit.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) condemned the findings from the affidavit in a video response released on Monday, calling for Greitens to suspend his campaign and “get professional help.” 

“Well, I have one thing that I want to say. Real men never abuse women and children. Period. End of story,” Hartzler said in her video response. “It’s time for Eric to get out of the Senate race and to get professional help.” 

Another candidate, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, also called on Greitens to drop his bid for the upper chamber.

“These allegations of abuse are disgusting and sickening. As Missouri’s attorney general, I know a predator when I see one, and I have fought for victims every step of the way,” Schmitt wrote in a tweet on Monday. 

“The behavior described in this affidavit is cause for Eric Greitens to be in prison, not on the ballot for U.S. Senate. He should end his campaign immediately,” Schmitt added. 

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who recently endorsed Hartzler in her campaign for Senate, also weighed in on Monday, calling for Greitens to end his campaign. 

“If you hit a woman or a child, you belong in handcuffs, not the United States Senate. It’s time for Eric Greitens to leave this race,” Hawley tweeted.

In the affidavit, which was made public earlier on Monday, Eric Greitens’s ex-wife, Sheena Greitens, accused her ex-husband of abuse against both her and their children. She recounted an incident in which she said Greitens purchased a firearm, hid it from his family members and threatened to kill himself if Sheena did not provide public support prior to his 2018 resignation from his position as Missouri governor due to allegations of an extramarital affair and sexual assault.

The couple filed for divorce after his resignation from office. 

“Prior to our divorce, during an argument in late April 2018, Eric knocked me down and confiscated my cell phone, wallet and keys so that I was unable to call for help or extricate myself and our children from our home,” Sheena Greitens wrote in the court filing. 

In a statement, Eric Greitens’s campaign team denied his ex-wife’s claims against him.

“Eric will fight for his children and defend himself from these outright lies. His children deserve a father who will speak the truth and stand up against malicious attacks that are clearly politically motivated,” his campaign team said.