GOP Senate Candidate's Old Friend Begs Him To End Campaign

Ken Harbaugh, an old friend of Eric Greitens, calls the Missouri Senate candidate "a broken man, who will do anything, including inciting violence, to regain power."
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An old friend of GOP Senate candidate Eric Greitens has a simple request for his pal: Drop out of the race and “try to repair the damage you have done, to your family, your country, and yourself.”

Ken Harbaugh served in the Navy with the former Missouri governor before starting a nonprofit and running for Congress in Ohio as a Democrat. In a new video, he implores Greitens, whom he calls a “broken man,” to end his Senate campaign.

There’s ample evidence for why that might be a good idea.

Not only has Greitens’ ex-wife, Sheena Greitens, accused him of physically abusing her and their children during their marriage, he has also come under fire for a recent video where he busts into a home to “hunt” his political opponents.

In addition, Greitens resigned as governor in 2018 after allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations.

In his video, Harbaugh says to Grietens that “what you’re doing now is not honorable,” and warns, “Even if you do win, you’re going to lose more than you can imagine by campaigning like this.”

“Your call to hunt down Republicans who disagree with you? That’s my mom, Eric,” he continues. “Just because she doesn’t think the election was stolen, and let’s be honest, you don’t either. That’s not a reason to threaten her.”

“She was one of the few people to reach out when you were forced to resign as governor. She wrote to you about grace, and redemption. She reminded you that even the greatest sins, those against one’s own family, can be forgiven.”

Harbaugh told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he has known Greitens since their first day at Duke University in 1992, and carried the friendship through their time at Oxford and as naval officers.

Although Harbaugh is a Democrat and Greitens is a Republican, Harbaugh felt strongly enough about his friend that he donated $5,000 to Greitens’ gubernatorial campaign.

“I didn’t have $5,000 sitting around, but I believed in him,” Harbaugh told the paper. “I thought a pro-choice, pro-gay marriage governor wouldn’t be the worst thing for Missouri, even if it was a Republican.”

Harbaugh started changing his mind about his friend after seeing harsh campaign ads and fundraising emails, but decided he’d had enough after seeing seeing Greitens’ controversial “RINO-hunting” ad, where he targets “Republicans in name only.”

Before making the video, Harbaugh reached out to Greitens personally, but never heard back.

“He needs to drop out and focus on repairing the enormous damage he has done to Missouri, his family and himself,” Harbaugh told the Post-Dispatch. “The best thing for Eric, not to mention the country, is for him to lose. That’s the only thing that will save him.”

Greitens’ campaign responded to a request for comment that Harbaugh is “obviously a disturbed individual hoping to profit from his former friendship with the Governor for forty seconds of the leftist spotlight.”

“Ken obviously can’t stand to see others do well, so he tries to drag down the successful. In the end, his cringeworthy, jealous, and silly video shows the world who he truly is,” the statement added.

Greitens also posted another gun-heavy video shortly after Harbaugh’s on Wednesday where he claims, “Because I fought for you, they came after me.”

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