Missouri Republican Senate candidate Eric Greitens on Monday released a disturbing new ad depicting him hunting other Republicans, The Hill reports.
Greitens, who has been accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife and sexual misconduct by his former mistress, shared a video on Twitter depicting him and a heavily armed group of men in tactical gear busting into homes to hunt “RINOs,” or Republicans in name only.
“Today we’re going RINO hunting,” Greitens declares while holding a shotgun.
“The RINO feeds on corruption and is marked by the stripes of cowardice. … There’s no bagging limit, no tagging limit, and it doesn’t expire until we save our country,” he says, urging his supporters to join the “MAGA crew” and get a “RINO hunting permit.”
Backlash:
The ad drew a swift rebuke from Democrats.
“This type of fa[s]cist messaging needs to stop. It only encourages political violence,” tweeted Rep. Ruben Gallego.
Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro called the ad “sociopathic,” warning that it is “going to get someone killed.”
“After former Missouri governor Eric Greitens was charged with violent sexual misconduct, his ex-wife says he bought and hid a gun,” tweeted Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action. “He also threatened to shoot himself unless she supported him publicly. Now he’s threatening to kill his political opponents.”
Greitens favored in race:
Greitens, who served as the state’s governor for 18 months, resigned in disgrace after he was accused of torturing his mistress and posting revenge porn.
He has since been accused by his ex-wife of abusing her and their young children.
Still, Greitens has led the Republican field in every recent poll, holding a 3-9 point lead over his GOP opponents.
Polls also show that he would likely win a general election matchup against any of the Democratic contenders.
