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Greitens makes campaign stop in Jefferson City

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Dozens of people flocked to see Republican gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens speak Thursday at the Downtown Diner in Jefferson City.

Conservative people of the community, members of the press, and political staffers filled the room to standing room only capacity to listen to Greitens as he kicks off his gubernatorial campaign with his “Listen and Lead” tour that will take him across the state for the next three months.

If his speech was any indication, Greitens, who has never held elected office, will embrace his Jefferson City-outsider status while railing against career politicians, who he believes have driven Missouri towards the bottom of national rankings in child literacy, economic growth and jobs added.

“People in Missouri have gotten so used to being disappointed by their leaders that they are almost ready to expect fake, regurgitated, mediocre leadership when in fact they deserve better,” Greitens said near the end of his speech.

Greitens also spoke about his life as a public servant, serving as a Navy SEAL for four tours of duty and later creating “The Mission Continues” – a nonprofit that encourages wounded and disabled veterans to volunteer.

Rep. Jay Barnes (R – Jefferson City) introduced Greitens to the crowd with an avid endorsement.

“For 20 of the past 24 years, the governor’s office has been filled by people just like Gov. Nixon, liberal Democrats that have taken our state in the wrong direction,” Barnes said. “I believe we deserve better, and I think Eric Greitens is a much better choice to move us forward.”

Barnes was taken with Greitens’ extensive resume. Greitens runs marathons, graduated from Duke University and went on to become a Rhodes Scholar in England where he also boxed. Barnes said that Greitens’ was like something out of a Rudyard Kipling novel, citing his experience as a person of action.

“[Greitens] is a boots-on-the-ground kind of guy,” Barnes said. “He knows that to move Missouri forward it requires listening to real people.”

Greitens also brought up his work ethic.

“I have calloused hands from working with my friends and my teams to solve problems,” he said. “A lot of politicians have sharp tongues, but they have soft hands. They’ve never been out to do real work.”

Carolyn McDowell, a Jefferson City business owner and former city council member, was impressed overall by Greitens’ history and came to the event to learn about him as a person. Now, she wants to hear more about his stances on the issues.

“I would like to have heard more, and it will come, about other issues,” McDowell said. “I think that he’s probably going to come to the top very quickly because some of [the other candidates] have more in their background that’s not as positive as his background is.”

Greitens started his “Listen and Lead” tour across Missouri Tuesday, and spent Thursday in Columbia, Jefferson City and St. Louis.