It's very, very early in the Senate recruitment process, but two Republican candidates this week who jumped into open races should raise alarms for the national party. While it's to be expected that GOP candidates will court the Trump base and the former president himself — certainly a winning strategy in a Republican primary — a crop of candidates in relatively safe red states could not only cause headaches for Leader Mitch McConnell if they win but at least one could endanger what should be a safe seat.
The most problematic GOP hopeful is in Missouri, where former Gov. Eric Greitens' issues are ones that Republicans fear could put the seat held by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt in danger, just as then-Rep. Todd Akin and his "legitimate rape" comment did in 2012 against Democrat Claire McCaskill.
Greitens, a former Navy SEAL who was seen as a rising star in the party after winning the governors race in 2016, was forced to resign less than two years later amid a series of scandals — the most serious of which
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