Politico: Top GOP Senate Recruit Courts Bannon After Threat

MONTGOMERY, AL - SEPTEMBER 26: Former advisor to President Donald Trump and executive chai
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A story from Kevin Robillard and Maggie Severns at Politico claims a would-be Republican contender for the Senate seat now occupied by Claire McCaskill in Missouri reached out to Breitbart Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon for his support:

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley called Steve Bannon after a report Bannon wanted to defeat him in a Senate primary. The Republican establishment pick to take on Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill quietly reached out to former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon last week — the latest step taken by concerned Republicans to counter Bannon’s threats to wreak havoc across the Senate landscape in 2018.

Two Republican sources said Attorney General Josh Hawley, a soft-spoken 37-year-old with an Ivy League pedigree who is expected to officially announce a run soon, called Bannon late last week, after The New York Times reported the Breitbart leader was targeting Hawley for defeat in Missouri’s GOP Senate primary. Republicans, who saw their last chance to defeat McCaskill slip away after they nominated gaffe-prone then-Rep. Todd Akin, fear Bannon’s interference could cause a similar outcome in 2018.

On the call, Hawley reminded Bannon of their mutual friends, including the Mercer megadonor family, which bankrolls much of Bannon’s political work. Hawley met with Robert Mercer last fall when he was running for attorney general, one Republican close to Hawley said. Hawley also mentioned Club for Growth President David McIntosh and conservative legal expert Leonard Leo, who advises President Donald Trump on judicial nominations.

Read the rest of the story here.

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