St. Louis attorney who aimed gun at protesters 'definitely' mulling 2022 Senate bid

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Mark McCloskey, the St. Louis attorney who along with his wife grabbed national headlines last year for pointing guns at Black Lives Matter protesters, says a 2022 run for Missouri's open Senate seat is "definitely a consideration."

In an interview Wednesday morning with Fox News, McCloskey added that he's "been getting a lot of response" as he talks to Missouri voters about a potential bid in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Roy Blunt.

"I think there's a general outpouring of concern for what's going on currently with the erosion of the Constitution and our basic rights," McCloskey said.

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Two Republicans have already launched campaigns in recent weeks – former Gov. Eric Greitens and state Attorney General Eric Schmitt. McCloskey joined both candidates in speaking Saturday at a Jackson County GOP Reagan-Lincoln Day Dinner in Blue Springs, Mo.

In this image from video, Mark and Patricia McCloskey speak from St. Louis during the first night of the Republican National Convention Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. (Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via AP)

"Although I'm not at this point running, it was nice to be able to go first before former Gov. Greitens and A.G. Schmitt. It gave everybody an opportunity to see us head to head," McCloskey shared. "We've been getting a strong response everyplace, and last Saturday was not an exception."

Asked about his timetable to make a decision, the personal injury lawyer said, "I don't really have a time frame on when we're going to do it."

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Images of McCloskey brandishing an assault weapon and his wife Patricia pointing a gun at protesters who were marching past their home last June – amid the summer of nationwide demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota – immediately went viral.

While city attorneys brought weapons charges against McCloskey and his wife, they quickly were vaulted to conservative stardom. They fundraised for then-President Trump's 2020 reelection campaign and spoke at last summer's Republican National Convention. In February, they appeared as guests at a gun-rights rally at the Missouri state capitol.

Armed homeowners Mark T. and Patricia N. McCloskey stand in front of their house along Portland Place as they confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house Sunday, June 28, 2020, in the Central West End of St. Louis. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Speaking with Fox News on Wednesday, McCloskey emphasized that "we can no longer just say 'America First,' because America will go away unless we first say, 'We've got to save America,' pull America back, and then go forward. If we don't do it here in 2022, the opportunity may never recur."

Both Greitens and Schmitt are spotlighting their support for Trump. And two other allies of the former president, Republican Reps. Jason Smith and Billy Long, are also considered potential contenders in the Senate race in Missouri. Both are expected to appear at separate fundraisers next week at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla.

The former president remains extremely popular with Republican base voters, according to recent polling, and influential with GOP politicians, as Trump continues to play a kingmaker's role in the 2022 Republican primaries and flirts with a 2024 White House run.

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McCloskey said he hasn't "had the opportunity to speak with the president yet about this. If he is interested in speaking with me about it, I'd be very happy to do so."

"He has made some endorsements. We'd be absolutely thrilled if should he endorse us, but I think he's going to keep the finger off the scale," he added.

In the race for the Democratic Senate nomination, former state Sen. Scott Sifton and attorney Lucas Kunce have launched campaigns.