May 27, 2021
By Mark Chesnut
Mark McCloskey, who along with his wife Patricia, stood off a large mob last summer in the front yard of their gated neighborhood home in St. Louis, is using the star power he gained from the incident as a springboard for a run for the U.S. Senate.
McCloskey made the announcement on a recent episode of Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox News, telling the host, “God came knocking on my door last summer disguised as an angry mob, and it really did wake me up.”
Most Firearms News readers will remember the incident at McCloskey’s home last June, which we covered extensively in the following weeks and months. When an unruly crowd broke open a gate into the couple’s private neighborhood, ostensibly to find Mayor Lyda Krewson’s house and call for her resignation, the couple, which owns a St. Louis law firm, reportedly called police to report the intrusion. As yelling trespassers by the dozen streamed through the gate, which was marked with a sign that read “Private Property, No Trespassing,” the couple armed themselves and stood in front of their home.
After the incident, McCloskey received support from 2A-friendly politicians at many levels, even garnering attention from then-President Donald Trump, who voiced his support for the couple’s actions. Now, still facing criminal charges for the confrontation, McCloskey is looking to win the highly contested open U.S. Senate seat that is currently on the minds of many Show-Me State politicians.
“When the angry mob came to destroy my house and kill my family, I took a stand against them,” McCloskey said in an advertisement kicking off his campaign. “Now I’m asking for the privilege to take that stand for all of us.”
In the commercial, McCloskey vows to defend the people of Missouri and all American citizens with the same fervor he used in defending his own home.
“I will never back down,” he said. “Our nation is under attack—big tech, big business, the swamp in D.C. are all working together to destroy our God-given freedom, our culture and our heritage. When was the last time a politician defended you, defended America, stood between you and the mob?”
McCloskey added that while politicians in Washington, D.C., are working to divide Americans by political affiliation, race and economic class, what the country really needs is someone who will defend the rights of all Americans.
“We are all Americans,” he said. “We are Missourians. Our state, our nation, our homes are worth defending. Our freedoms are worth defending.
“I can promise you one thing, that when the mob comes to destroy our homes, our state and our country, I will defend it. I will never back down.”
Freelance writer and editor Mark Chesnut is the owner/editorial director at Red Setter Communications LLC. An avid hunter, shooter and political observer, he has been covering Second Amendment issues and politics on a near-daily basis for the past 20 years.
