Eric Greitens, Vicky Hartzler Speak With The Epoch Times as Missouri Senate Primary Approaches

Two of the top three contenders for the Republican nomination for the open U.S. Senate seat in the Aug. 2 Missouri primary, former Gov. Eric Greitens and Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), discussed their records in interviews with The Epoch Times as Republican voters decide who will have their support.

Another leading candidate, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, didn’t speak to The Epoch Times by press time.

Greitens: ‘I’m the MAGA Candidate’

In a July 22 interview with The Epoch Times, Greitens explained why he thinks Missouri voters should choose him.

“I’m the MAGA candidate in this race—the America First candidate in this race,” the former Navy SEAL and Rhodes Scholar said.

Greitens served as governor of Missouri before resigning in 2018.

While many Republican candidates seek the mantle of MAGA, he has a particularly strong case.

His team includes Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former adviser to President Donald Trump and fiancée of Donald Trump Jr. In April, Greitens’s campaign released footage of Trump Jr. and Greitens shooting targets together.

His backers also include Rudy Giuliani, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Sebastian Gorka, Steve Cortes, Dennis Prager, and Ryan Zinke.

So far, however, Trump hasn’t formally endorsed Greitens or any other candidate in the race, although he did announce on July 11 that he doesn’t back Hartzler.

“As we’ve said from the beginning, all the conversations that our team has with President Trump and his team, we obviously keep confidential, because this is a decision for President Trump and his team to make in the time and manner that he chooses—but we’re honored to have so much support from President Trump’s true fighters,” Greitens said in answer to a question about a prospective Trump endorsement.

Greitens’s campaign has been plagued by accusations of domestic abuse from his ex-wife, former First Lady of Missouri Sheena