Former Missouri State Sen. Scott Sifton on Monday dropped out of the Missouri U.S. Senate campaign and offered his support to a member of the Anheuser-Busch empire who has yet to declare her candidacy.
In a surprise move that shakes up a sleepy Democratic primary, Sifton announced he was withdrawing from the race in a press release just hours after sending out a fundraising email.
“For more than a quarter century, I have given my all to advancing progressive values in my beloved home state,” Sifton said. “That won’t change: I remain committed as ever to restoring Democrats to leadership in Missouri. Today’s developments should be seen as advancing—not abandoning—that goal.”
He urged Democrats to unite behind one candidate in order to defeat former Gov. Eric Greitens, who was accused of domestic violence last week. Instead of endorsing Democrat Lucas Kunce, whose background in the U.S. Marine Corps and populist pitch has helped him lead the field in fundraising, Sifton put his support behind Trudy Busch Valentine.
“Eric Greitens simply cannot be our next senator, and I know that Trudy Busch Valentine gives us the best chance to win in November,” Sifton said. “I have seen her in action working on issues in the community and know she will do right by Missourians. I am excited to see what she can do for our state in the Senate, and call on all other Democrats in the field to lend her their support.”
Busch Valentine is a St. Louis philanthropist and the daughter of Augustus Busch Jr., who helped build the Anheuser-Busch company. In 2019, she donated $4 million to St. Louis University’s school of nursing, which was named in her honor. She filed to run for office at 4:02 p.m. Monday, according to the Secretary of State’s website.
Busch Valentine could not immediately be reached for comment. She did not appear to have a campaign website set up.
There are 11 Democratic candidates currently running, including Kansas City activist Timothy Shepard. While Sifton was one of the more prominent Democrats in the field, he struggled to keep up with Kunce financially as the campaigns began gearing up for the Aug. 2nd primary. Sifton raised $890,036 over the course of his campaign, less than half of the $2.4 million Kunce has collected.
Sifton announced his candidacy in February 2021, before U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt declared he was retiring from office. He grew up in Kansas City but has lived in the St. Louis area for most of his life. He previously served for two years in the Missouri House of Representatives and eight years in the U.S. Senate.
While Republicans have dominated in statewide elections recently, Democrats remain hopeful of their chances because of Greitens. Mounting a political comeback after resigning from office to avoid impeachment in 2018, Greitens was leading the Republican field prior to allegations that he physically and mentally abused his wife and children came out amid a custody dispute between the couple.
Polling last week showed Greitens was potentially vulnerable to a Democrat in a general election, an outcome national Republicans are working to avoid.
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Kansas City Star reporters Jonathan Shorman and Kacen Bayless contributed reporting.
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