The concerns have grown so serious that former President Donald Trump and those in his orbit have heard from Republicans inside and outside Missouri, who warn that Greitens would be the one GOP candidate who could lose to a Democrat, according to a person familiar with the conversations.
Republican leaders say they aren’t ruling out taking aggressive steps to stop Greitens from winning the nomination, including waging a slashing advertising campaign against him. Party officials — ranging from members of the Missouri congressional delegation to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s political operation — have been united in their worry about the former governor and spent the week having conversations about the situation, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Senate Leadership Fund, the principal Republican-aligned super PAC, has been engaged in talks about how to keep the former governor from endangering their hold on what should be a safe seat, given Missouri’s strong conservative tilt. People close to the National Republican Senatorial Committee have expressed apprehension about Greitens, though the organization is not expected to wade into open-seat primaries.
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