In June 2020, McCloskey and his wife, Patricia, waved guns at protesters who were marching past their mansion on the way to the home of then–St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson. Images of the barefoot couple defending their home — which took place amid a summer of social unrest following the killing of George Floyd — almost immediately went viral. They were later indicted on charges of unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering.
The couple became a cause célèbre for conservatives and won the support of then-President Donald Trump, who used the incident to advance a central theme of his reelection campaign — that far-left activists were overrunning upscale communities. Trump retweeted video footage of the incident and defended the couple in a televised interview, saying it was “disgraceful” they were facing legal action.
The McCloskeys were awarded a speaking slot on the opening night of the 2020 Republican convention. In a pre-recorded, four-minute video, the couple warned that liberals wanted to “demolish” suburban areas and take away gun rights.
GOP Rep. Jason Smith has also been mentioned as a potential candidate for the seat, as has GOP Rep. Billy Long, both of whom will be appearing at separate fundraising events next week at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida. The list of Democratic contenders includes former state Sen. Scott Sifton and attorney Lucas Kunce.
This content was originally published here.
