Who is Eric Greitens?

Eric Robert Greitens is an American politician and former Navy officer who served as the Governor of Missouri from 2017 to 2018. He is a registered Republican, having resigned from the Democratic party in 2015.

Born on April 10, 1974 in St. Louis Missouri, Greitens grew up Democrat in the city. After school, he attended Duke University, majoring in ethics, philosophy, and public policy. He graduated summa cum laude, i.e., with the highest honors. Greitens has had a storied career in academics since he won the Harry S Truman scholarship and was named a Rhodes Scholar which let him study a master’s degree at Oxford University. He received Master’s in Philosophy in 1998 following which he committed to a PhD, researching how human rights organisations helped children in war affected countries. 

His political career began in 2016 when he announced that he would be running for the governor of Missouri. Following his return from Iraq in 2007, he founded a non-profit organisation called The Mission Continues which empowered war veterans to build community relationships and build career skills all while they work at other volunteer organisations.

During his campaign for the governorship, his improper use of The Mission Continues’ email accounts to arrange meetings and his use of its donor list to raise money for his campaign were both heavily scrutinised, with the Attorney General of Missouri opening an investigation into The Mission Continues. It was later reported by the Kansas City Star that the AG dropped the investigation into the non-profit. 

In 2018, prior to an investigative report coming out, Greitens came forward saying that he had an extramarital affair with his hiarstylist in 2015. It was later revealed that he had sexually assaulted her. Following these revelations, Republican members of the House of Representatives of Missouri called for his resignation and even called a special session to impeach him. Greitens resigned on June 1, 2018. He has had the shortest tenure as governor of Missouri since 1861. 

The U.S. primaries for Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri, and Washington are set to be held on August 2, 2022. The mid-term elections are slated for November 8.