Missouri Senate candidate Eric Greitens says, if elected, he's on board to oust Mitch McConnell

The former Missouri governor becomes one of the first prominent GOP voices to endorse former President Trump's call to oust Mitch McConnell from Senate leadership.

By Sophie Mann

Published: September 21, 2021 12:38pm

Updated: September 21, 2021 2:59pm

Missouri Senate candidate and former Republican Gov. Eric Greitens on Tuesday gave his support to an effort to remove Sen. Mitch McConnell from his long-held post as the top Senate Republican.

"As a Republican running for Missouri's open U.S. Senate seat, I am committed to finding new leadership in the Senate when Republicans win back the majority in 2022," Greitens, running for the open seat of retiring GOP Sen. Roy Blunt, said on Steve Bannon's "War Room."

Recent reporting suggests that the former president is seriously vetting candidates to potentially depose McConnell from his leadership post, should Republicans reclaim a Senate majority in 2022.

McConnell has been the top Republican for roughly 14 years.

"We have sadly watched Mitch McConnell morph from a conservative fighter into the power-merchant of D.C., prioritizing special interests and personal influence over America," said Greitens, adding that between the two GOP leaders, he is firmly in the camp of the former president over his potential Senate colleague. McConnell "is actively engaged in working against President Trump and the MAGA movement as we chart our path back to the majority."

Greitens has aligned himself closely with the Trump policy platform and voter base, though the the former president has not yet endorsed a candidate in the GOP primary field. The former governor and Navy SEAL is competing in a field that includes Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Rep. Billy Long, and Mark McCloskey, the husband in the St. Louis couple who in summer 2020 brandished guns to protect their home from passing Black Lives Matter protesters.

Regardless of the elusive Trump endorsement, Greitens has received endorsements from a handful of Trump-circle members including Rudy Giuliani, former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke (who is again running for Congress in Montana) and, most recently, former Trump National Security Adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr. served as the national chairwoman for Greitens' campaign.