Ex-GOP governor facing bipartisan calls to quit Missouri Senate race after allegations of abuse surface

Former Republican Missouri Governor Eric Greitens is facing calls to abandon his campaign for the United States Senate following new allegations of domestic abuse that were filed by his ex-wife.

Sheena Greitens wrote in a court filing that was obtained by the Associated Press on Monday that her ex-husband demonstrated a pattern of “unstable and coercive behavior” that resulted in restrictions on his access to firearms. Greitens, who resigned from the governorship in 2018 amid a sex scandal, is also accused of the physical and emotional battery of his family. The couple divorced later that same year and are currently embroiled in a child custody battle.

“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,” Greitens' affadavit states. “I became afraid for my safety and that of our children at our home,” and that his “behavior included physical violence toward our children, such as cuffing our then-3-year-old son across the face at the dinner table in front of me and yanking him around by his hair.”

The Greitens Senate campaign is denying the allegations and insisting that they are merely a method of political and personal retribution.

“His ex-wife is engaged in a last-ditch attempt to vindictively destroy her ex-husband,” Greteins' campaign manager Dylan Johnson said in a statement. “Eric has always been a great Dad, who loves his boys and has always put them first, and that is why he is filing for full custody of his children.”

Nevertheless, calls for Greitens to drop out of the race have erupted across the political spectrum, including among his primary rivals.

Politico reporter Natalie Allison tweeted on Monday afternoon:

[Missouri's Republican] Attorney General Eric Schmitt: 'I know a predator when I see one … The behavior described in this affidavit is cause for Eric Greitens to be in prison, not on the ballot for U.S. Senate.

GOP Representative Vicky Hartzler, who is also seeking her party's nomination for the Senate, said that “It’s time for Eric to get out of the Senate race and get professional help.”

Greiten's likely Democratic challenger, attorney Lucas Kunce, declared that "Eric Greitens should be in prison. He's unfit to serve. I agree with Vicky Hartzler that he needs to immediately drop out of the race."