Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis lawyer who made international headlines after he and his wife pulled guns on Black Lives Matter protesters that marched through their private neighborhood, is running for Senate in Missouri.
The story: Mark McCloskey announced his bid during an appearance on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Tuesday. He filed paperwork to run in the race the same day.
McCloskey is running for the Senate seat that is currently held by Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican, who revealed in March that he will not seek re-election in 2022.
“I’ve always been a Republican, but I have never been a politician,” he told host Tucker Carlson. “But you know, God came knocking on my door last summer disguised as an angry mob, and it really did wake me up.”
A campaign website for donations for McCloskey’s Senate bid has been launched Tuesday.
“I’ve spent 36 years fighting for the rights of my fellow Missourians. And Missourians want a fighter who will stand up against cancel culture, the poison of critical race theory, the violent mobs and rising crime, and the spread of socialism,” McCloskey said in a statement. “After being encouraged to run by people all over Missouri, today I’m announcing that I’m entering the race for U.S. Senate to fight for Missouri values.”
Worth noting: Other Republicans fighting for Blunt’s seat include former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned amid a probe into sexual misconduct allegations, and the state’s attorney general Eric Schmitt.
In a campaign video that he shared on his Twitter account, McCloskey promised to “never back down” and took aim at the political establishment.
“When the angry mob came to destroy my house and kill my family, I took a stand against them,” he says in the campaign video. “Now I’m asking for the privilege to take that stand for all of us.”
“When was the last time a politician defended you? Defended America? Stood between you and the mob?” the lawyer asks in the clip. “We need defenders but all we get is dividers. Every day, they teach us to hate each other, left versus right, black versus white, rich versus poor. This is a tactic to destroy us.”
Background: McCloskey and his wife gained international attention after they were pictured brandishing their guns on their front porch as protesters demonstrated in their private neighborhood, on their way to the home of former St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson.
The pair argued that they were within their rights to defend their home against intruders and drew praise from gun rights advocates. Still, they were indicted last year in October and charged with unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering. The couple pleaded not guilty and are due to stand trial in November this year.
“We didn’t fire a shot. People were violently protesting in front of our house and screaming death threats and threats of rape and threats of arson. Nobody gets charged but we get charged,” McCloskey said at the time.
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