Former President Donald Trump’s latest endorsement caused confusion, as he endorsed "Eric” in Tuesday’s Missouri Senate GOP primary in which both frontrunners are named Eric, and a long shot candidate also bears the same name.
It was not clear from Trump’s endorsement whether he was referring to Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt or former governor Eric Greitens, who are each vying for the nomination, the New York Post reported.
To further add to the confusion, there is a third candidate named Eric – Eric McElroy – running in the primary. But he is considered a long shot with little chance of winning, and is unlikely to have garnered Trump's endorsement.
The night before the primary, Trump issued a statement that he was “proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
Trump said: “There is a BIG Election in the Great State of Missouri, and we must send a MAGA Champion and True Warrior to the U.S. Senate, someone who will fight for Border Security, Election Integrity, our Military and Great Veterans, together with having powerful toughness on Crime and the Border.”
“We need a person who will not back down to the Radical Left Lunatics who are destroying our Country,” he added.
“I trust the Great People of Missouri, on this one, to make up their own minds, much as they did when gave me landside victories in the 2016 and 2020 Elections, and I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
Both candidates quickly chimed it to say they had Trump’s endorsement.
“I’m grateful for President Trump’s endorsement. As the only America First candidate who has actually fought for election integrity, border security & against the Left’s indoctrination of our kids – I’ll take that fight to the Senate to SAVE AMERICA!” Schmitt tweeted. “From the beginning, I’ve been the true MAGA Champion fighting against the RINO establishment backing Schmitt.”
But Greitens also alleged he had the former president’s support, saying he “just had a GREAT phone call with President Trump.”
A recent Emerson College poll placed Schmitt as the front runner with 33 percent support.